THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


WRECK    OF    THE    WOODVILLE.  -  l'n«o  65. 


OB, 


THE  YOUNG  PILOT  OF  LAKE  CHAMPLAIN. 


forg  for 


BY 


OLIVER    OPTIC, 

AUTHOR  OF     "RICH    AND    HUMBLE,"    "  IN    SCHOOL    AND    OUT,"    "WATCH    AND 

WAIT,"     "WORK   AND   WIN,"    "HOPE   AND   HAVE,"    "THE   RIVERDALE 

STORY    BOOKS,"   "THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY  STORIES," 

"THE  BOAT  CLUB  STORIES,"  ETC. 


BOSTON: 
LEE      .A.  INT  ID       S   H   E   IP  A.  R  D, 

(SUCCESSORS  TO  PHILLIPS,   SAMPSON  &  CO.) 

1  868. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1866,  by 

WILLIAM    T.  ADAMS, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


ELECTROTTPED   AT    THE 

BOSTON    STEREOTYPE    FOUNDRY, 

4  Spring  Lane. 


, 

0  I 


TO 


MY   YOUNG   FRIEND, 

GEORGE    0.  LEAVITT, 


IS    AFFECTIONATELY    DEDICATED. 


(3) 


orj 


THE  WOODVILLE  STORIES. 


IN  SIX  VOLUMES. 


BY    OLIVER    OPTIC. 


1.  RICH    A.KT3D 

2.  I3ST    SCHOOL    .A-WID    OXJT. 

a. 


4. 

s.  HOFB  A.3srr> 

B.    H-A-STE    -A.3STI3 


(4) 


PREFACE. 


THE  sixth  and  last  volume  of  the  Woodville  stories 
contains  the  record  of  a  mechanical,  rather  than  a  moral 
triumph,  though  the  virtues  of  patience  and  perseverance 
are  incidentally  illustrated,  and  the  "little  captain"  of  the 
Woodville  is  always  a  good  son,  a  forbearing  brother,  and 
a  kind  friend.  Lawry  "VVilford,  the  young  pilot,  is  a  boy 
of  spirit  and  energy,  who  overcomes  difficulties  by  a  strong 
faith  in  himself,  and  redeems  his  family  from  poverty,  in 
spite  of  the  bad  example  and  the  bad  conduct  of  his  father 
and  his  older  brother. 

Several  of  the  characters  previously  introduced  in  this 
series  will  be  found  on  board  of  the  steamer  Woodville, 
whose  history  is  contained  in  this  volume,  and  in  whose 
pleasant  excursions  on  Lake  Champlain  our  young  readers 
are  invited  to  join,  with  the  hope  that  they  will  all  be 
pleased  with  the  boat  and  her  gentlemanly  commander. 

In  bringing  the  Woodville  stories  to  a  close,  the  author 
1*  (5) 


6  PREFACE. 

cannot  neglect  again  to  thank  his  partial  young  friends  — 
whose  still  increasing  numbers  he  views  with  delighted 
astonishment  —  for  the  interest  they  have  manifested  in  him 
and  his  books.  He  would  also  gratefully  acknowledge  his 
indebtedness  to  the  members  of  the  press  who  have  so 
often  and  so  kindly  noticed  his  works ;  and  not  less  to 
those  who,  in  a  friendly  spirit,  have  pointed  out  his  literary 
errors  and  short-comings. 


WILLIAM  T.  ADAMS. 


HARRISON  SQUARE,  MASS., 
September  23,  1866. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 
CHAP.  I.  —  The  Squall  on  the  Lake 11 

CHAP.  II.  —  The  Port  Rock  Ferry 24 

CHAP.  III.  —  Six  Thousand  Dollars.  .  .  .  .37 
CHAP.  IV.  —  The  Steamer  Woodville.  ...  50 

CHAP.  V.  —  Haste  and  Waste 63 

CHAP.  VI.  —  The  Sheriff's  Visit 7* 

CHAP.  VII.  —  The  Ferryman's  Crime.  ...  90 
CHAP.  VIII.  —  Raising  the  Woodville.  .  .  .104 
CHAP.  IX.  —  Ben  Wilford's  Plan.  .  .  .  .  118 

CHAP.  X.  —  Hard  at  Work 133 

CHAP.  XI.  —  Mr.  Sherwood  and  Party.  .  .  .147 
CHAP.  XII.  —  From  Dependency  to  Rejoicing.  .  .  162 

CHAP.  XIII.  —  Getting  up  Steam 177 

CHAP.  XIV.  —  Captain  Lawry 191 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XV.  —  The  New  Captain.                  .  .  .207 

CHAP.  XVI.  —  The  Excursion  to  Whitehall.  .  .     224 

CHAP.  XVII.  —  Burlington  to  Isle  La  Motte.  .  .     242 

CHAP.  XVIII.  —  Ten  Thousand  in  Gold.     .  .  .260 

CHAP.  XIX.  —  Captured  and  Recaptured.    .  .  .     279 

CHAP.  XX.  —  The  Little  Captain  and  his  Motto.  .    297 


HASTE   AND    WASTE. 


HASTE   AND    WASTE; 

OK,     THE 

YOUNG  PILOT   OF   LAKE   CHAMPLAIN. 


CHAPTER    I. 

.      THE     SQUALL     ON     THE     LAKE. 

"  STAND  by,  Captain  John  !  "  shouted  Lawry 
Wilford,  a  stout  boy  of  fourteen,  as  he  stood  at  the 
helm  of  a  sloop,  which  was  going  before  the  wind 
up  Lake  Champlain. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Lawry  ? "  demanded  the 
captain,  who  was  taking  his  midday  meal  with  his 
crew  and  one  passenger  in  the  little  cabin. 

"We're  going  to  have  a  squall,"  continued  the 
young  pilot,  as  he  glanced  at  the  tall  peaks  of  the 
Adirondacks,  the  more  northerly  of  which  were 
entirely  enveloped  by  a  dense  mass  of  angry  black 
clouds.  (n> 


12  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

There  was  a  squall  in  those  clouds,  in  the  judg 
ment  of  Lawry  Wilford  ;  but  having  duly  notified 
the  captain  of  the  impending  danger  to  his  craft, 
he  did  not  assume  any  further  responsibility  in  the 
management  of  the  sloop.  It  was  very  quiet  on  the 
lake ;  the  water  was  smooth,  and  the  tiny  waves 
sparkled  in  the  bright  sunshine.  There  was  no  roll 
of  distant  thunder  to  admonish  the  voyagers,  and 
the  youth  at  the  helm  was  so  much  accustomed  to 
squalls  and  tempests,  which  are  of  frequent  occur 
rence  on  the  lake,  that  they  had  no  terrors  to  him. 
It  was  dinner  time,  and  the  young  pilot,  fearful 
that  the  unexpected  guest  might  reduce  the  rations 
to  a  low  ebb  for  the  second  table,  was  more  con 
cerned  about  this  matter  than  about  the  squall. 

Captain  John,  as  he  was  familiarly  called  on  board 
the  Missisque,  which  was  the  name  of  the  sloop, 
was  not  a  man  to  be  cheated  out  of  any  portion 
of  his  dinner  by  the  approach  of  a  squall  ;  and 
though  his  jaws  may  have  moved  more  rapidly  after 
the  announcement  of  the  young  pilot,  he  did  not 
neglect  even  the  green-apple  pies,  the  first  of  the 
season,  prepared  with  care  and  skill  by  Mrs.  Cap- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       13 

tain  John,  who  resided  on  board,  and  did  "  doctor's  " 
duty  at  the  galley.  Captain  John  did  not  abate  a 
single  mouthful  of  the  meal,  though  he  knew  how 
rapidly  the  mountain  showers  and  squalls  travel 
over  the  lake.  The  sloop  did  not  usually  make 
more  than  four  or  five  miles  an  hour,  being  deeply 
laden  with  lumber,  which  was  piled  up  so  high  on 
the  deck  that  the  mainsail  had  to  be  reefed,  to  make 
room  for  it ;  and  eating  and  sleeping  were  the  only 
luxuries  within  the  reach  of  the  skipper. 

The  passenger,  Mr.  Randall,  was  a  director  of  a 
country  bank,  journeying  to  Shoreham,  about  twenty 
miles  above  the  point  where  he  had  embarked  in 
the  Missisque.  He  had  crossed  the  lake  in  the 
ferry,  intending  to  take  the  steamer  at  Westport  for 
his  destination.  Being  a  man  who  was  always  in 
a  hurry,  but  never  in  season,  he  had  reached  the 
steamboat  landing  just  in  time  to  see  the  boat  mov 
ing  off.  Procuring  a  wherry,  and  a  boy  to  row  it, 
he  had  boarded  the  Missisque  as  she  passed  up  the 
lake ;  and,  though  the  sloop  was  not  a  passenger 
boat,  Captain  John,  as  a  special  favor  to  the  man 
of  money,  had  consented  to  land  him  at  Shoreham. 
2 


14  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

Mr.  Randall  was  a  landsman,  and  had  a  proper 
respect  for  squalls  and  tempests,  even  on  a  fresh  water 
lake.  He  heard  the  announcement  of  Lawry  Wil- 
ford  with  a  feeling  of  dread  and  apprehension,  and 
straightway  began  to  conjure  up  visions  of  a  terrible 
shipwreck,  and  of  sole  survivors,  clinging  with  the 
madness  of  desperation  to  broken  spars,  in  the  midst 
of  the  storm-tossed  waters.  But  Mr.  Randall  was 
a  director  of  a  country  bank,  and  a  certain  amount 
of  dignity  was  expected  and  required  of  him.  His 
official  position  before  the  people  of  Vermont  de 
manded  that  he  should  not  give  way  to  idle  fears. 
If  Captain  John,  who  was  not  a  bank  director, 
could  keep  cool,  it  was  Mr.  Randall's  solemn  duty 
to  remain  unmoved,  or  at  least  to  appear  to  re 
main  so. 

The  passenger  finished  the  first  course  of  the 
dinner,  which  Mrs.  Captain  John  had  made  a  little 
more  elaborate  than  usual,  in  honor  of  the  distin 
guished  guest ;  but  he  complained  of  the  smallness 
of  his  appetite,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  did  not 
enjoy  the  meal  after  the  brief  colloquy  between  the 
skipper  and  the  pilot.  He  was  nervous  ;  his  dig- 


THE    TOTING    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       15 

nity  was  a  "bore"  to  him,  and  was  maintained  at 
an  immense  sacrifice  of  personal  ease ;  but  he  per 
severed  until  a  piece  of  the  dainty  green  apple  pie 
was  placed  before  him,  when  he  lacerated  the  ten 
der  feelings  of  Mrs.  Captain  John  by  abruptly  leav 
ing  the  table  and  rushing  on  deck. 

This  hurried  movement  was  hardly  to  be  regarded 
as  a  sacrifice  of  his  dignity,  for  it  was  made  with 
what  even  the  skipper's  lady  was  compelled  to  allow 
was  a  reasonable  excuse.  In  spite  of  the  demand 
for  the  proprieties  of  civilized  society,  rigorously  ex 
acted  from  directors  of  country  banks  who  expect 
in  due  time  to  go  to  Congress,  or  be  governors  of 
the  state,  Mr.  Randall  sat  at  the  hospitable  board 
of  the  skipper  of  the  Missisque  in  his  shirt  sleeves  - — 
a  breach  of  etiquette  for  which  there  was  no  apol 
ogy  but  the  fact  that  his  host  appeared  at  the  head 
of  the  table  in  the  same  undignified  costume. 

"Gracious  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Randall,  as  the  tempt 
ing  piece  of  green-apple  pie,  reeking  with  indige 
nous  juices,  was  placed  before  him. 

At  the  same  moment  the  bank  director  further 
indicated  his  astonishment  and  horror  by  slapping 


16  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

both  hands  upon  his  breast  in  a  style  worthy  of 
Brutus  when  Rome  was  in  peril. 

"What's  the  matter,  squire?"  demanded  Captain 
John,  dropping  his  knife  and  fork,  and  suspending 
*he  operation  of  his  vigorous  jaws  till  an  explana 
tion  could  be  obtained. 

"  I've  left  my  coat  on  deck,"  replied  Mr.  Randall, 
rising  from  his  chair. 

"  It's  just  as  safe  there  as  'twould  be  on  your 
back,  squire,"  added  the  skipper. 

"  There's  six  thousand  dollars  in  the  pocket  of 
that  coat,"  said  the  bank  director,  with  a  gasp  of 
apprehension,  partly  for  the  safety  of  the  money, 
and  partly  for  the  safety  of  his  person  in  the  ap 
proaching  squall. 

Mr.  Randall  did  not  wait  to  hear  any  more.  He 
vaulted  up  the  companion  ladder  like  a  circus 
tumbler. 

"Where's  my  coat?"  demanded  he. 

"  There  it  is,"  replied  Lawry  Wilford,  pointing  to 
the  garment  under  the  rail.  "  We  had  a  flaw  of 
wind  just  now,  and  it  came  pretty  near  being  blowed 
overboard." 


THE    YOUXG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        17 

"  Gracious !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Randall,  as  he 
clutched  the  coat.  "  I'm  too  careless  to  live ! 
There's  six  thousand  dollars  in  a  pocket  of  that 
coat." 

"  Six  thousand  dollars  !  "  ejaculated  Lawry,  whose 
ideas  of  such  a  sum  of  money  were  very  indefinite. 
"  I  should  say  you  ought  not  to  let  it  lie  round 
loose  in  this  way." 

"  I'm  very  careless ;  but  the  money  is  safe,"  con 
tinued  the  director,  with  a  long  sigh  of  relief,  as  he 
placed  his  hand  on  the  treasure. 

"  Stand  by,  Captain  John  !  "  suddenly  shouted 
Lawry,  with  tremendous  energy,  as  he  put  the  helm 
down,  and  rushed  forward,  almost  upsetting  the 
happy  Mr.  Randall  in  his  passage. 

The  squall  was  coming  up  the  lake  in  the  track 
of  the  Missisque  ;  a  dull,  roaring  sound  was  heard 
astern ;  and  all  the  mountain  peaks  had  disappeared, 
closed  in  by  the  dense  volume  of  black  clouds.  The 
episode  of  the  bank  director's  coat  had  distracted 
the  attention  of  the  young  pilot  for  a  moment,  and 
he  had  not  observed  the  rapid  swoop  of  the  squall, 
as  it  bore  down  upon  the  sloop.  He  leaped  over 
2* 


18  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

9 

the  piles  of  lumber  to  the  forecastle,  and  had  cast 
loose  the  peak  halyard,  when  Captain  John  tumbled 
up  the  companion-way  in  time  to  see  that  he  had 
lingered  too  long  over  the  green-apple  pie,  and  that 
one  piece  Avould  have  been  better  for  his  vessel,  if 
not  for  him. 

"  Let  go  the  throat  halyard  !  "  roared  he.     "  Down  ' 
with  the  mainsail  !    down  with  the  mainsail !  " 

Lawry  did  not  need  any  prompting  to  do  his 
duty ;  but  before  he  could  let  go  the  throat  halyard, 
the  squall  was  upon  the  sloop.  Mr.  Randall  had 
seized  hold  of  the  rail,  and  was  crouching  beneath 
the  bulwark,  expecting  to  go  to  the  bottom  of  the 
lake,  for  he  was  too  much  excited  to  make  a  com 
parison  of  the  specific  gravities  of  pine  boards  and 
fresh  water,  and  therefore  did  not  realize  that  lum 
ber  would  float,  and  not  sink. 

The  squall  did  its  work  in  an  instant ;  and  before 
the  bank  director  had  fairly  begun  to  tremble,  the 
rotten  mainsail  of  the  Missisque  was  blown  into 
ribbons,  and  the  "  flapping  flitters  "  were  streaming 
in  the  air.  Piece  after  piece  was  detached  from 
^he  bolt-rope,  and  disappeared  in  the  heavy  atmos- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       19 

phere.  The  sloop,  in  obedience  to  her  helm,  came 
about,  and  was  now  headed  down  the  lake.  The 
rain  began  to  fall  in  torrents,  and  Mr.  Randall  was 
as  uncomfortable  as  the  director  of  a  country  bank 
could  be.  • 

"  Go  below,  sir  ! "  sliouted  Captain  John,  to  the 
unhappy  man. 

"  Is  it  safe  ? "    asked  Mr.  Randall. 

"  Safe  enough." 

"Won't  she  sink?"' 

"  Sink  ?  no  ;  she  can't  sink,"  replied  the  skipper. 
"  The  wu'st  on't  's  over  now." 

Mr.  Randall,  encouraged  by  this  candid  statement 
of  the  situation,  consented  to  go  below,  just  as  his 
dignified  skin  began  to  feel  the  cold  moisture  from 
the  mountain  clouds.  Mrs.  Captain  John  gave  him 
a  seat  at  her  cooking- stove,  and  the  chances  were 
all  in  his  favor,  in  spite  of  his  gloomy  forebod 
ings. 

The  fury  of  the  squall  was  spent  in  a  moment, 
and  then  the  fury  of  Captain  John  began  to  gather, 
as  he  saw  the  remnants  of  the  sail  flapping  at  the 
gaff  and  the  boom.  The  Missisque  and  her  cargo 


20  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

were  safe,  and  not  a  single  one  of  the  precious  lives 
of  her  crew  had  been  sacrificed ;  but  the  skipper  was 
as  dissatisfied  as  the  skipper  of  a  lake  sloop  could 
be ;  more  so,  probably,  than  if  the  vessel  had  gone 
to  the  bottom,  and  left  him  clinging*  for  life  to  a 
lone  spar  on  the  angry  waters,  for  men  are  often 
more  reasonable  under  great  than  under  small  mis 
fortunes. 

"  Why  didn't  you  let  go  that  throat  halyard  ? " 
said  he,  angrily,  as  he  walked  forward  to  the  part 
of  the  deck  where  the  young  pilot  stood. 

"  I  did,"  replied  Lawry,  quietly —  so  quietly  that 
it  increased  the  fury  of  the  skipper. 

"  You  did  !  What  was  the  use  of  lettin'  it  go 
after  the  squall  had  split  the  sail  ?  Why  didn't  you 
do  it  sooner  ?  " 

"  I  did  it  as  soon  as  I  saw  the  squall  coming 
down  on  us." 

"  Why  didn't  you  see  it  before  then  ? "  growled 
Captain  John. 

"  I  told  you  the  squall  was  coming  half  an  hour 
ago,  Captain  John.  Why  didn't  you  come  on  deck, 
and  attend  to  vour  vessel  ? " 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OP    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.         21 

"  Don't  be  sassy,"  said  Captain  John,  in  reply 
to  this  unanswerable  argument. 

"  I'm  not  the  skipper  of  this  craft.  If  I  had 
been,  that  sail  would  have  been  safe.  I  told  you 
the  squall  was  coming,  and  after  that  I  did  the 
best  I  could." 

"You  ain't  good  for  nothin'  'board  a  vessel.  I 
thought  you  knew  enough  to  take  in  sail  when  you 
saw  a  squall  comin'." 

"  I  should  have  taken  in  sail  long  ago  if  I  had 
thought  the  captain  didn't  know  enough  to  come  on 
deck  when  there  was  a  squall  coming  up,"  replied 
Lawry,  as  he  walked  aft,  disgusted  with  the  conduct 
of  the  skipper. 

"  I  don't  want  nothin'  more  of  you." 

"  And  I  don't  want  anything  more  of  you,"  added 
Lawry,  smartly.  "  I've  got  almost  home." 

"  What  do  you  s'pose  I'm  goin'  to  do  here, 
eighty  mile  from  Whitehall,  with  the  mainsail  blowed 
clean  out?"  snarled  Captain  John,  as  he  followed 
Lawry. 

"  Mind  your  vessel  better  than  you  have,  I  hope." 

"  Don't  be  sassy,  boy." 


22  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

"  You  needn't  growl  at  me  because  you  neglected 
your  duty.  I  did  mine.  I  was  casting  off  the  hal 
yards  when  the  squall  came." 

"  Why  didn't  you  do  it  before  ?  That's  what  I 
want  to  know." 

"  I  had  no  orders  from  the  captain.  Men  on  board 
a  vessel  don't  take  in  sail  till  they  are  told  to  do 
so.  When  I  saw  the  squall  coming,  half  an  hour 
ago,  I  let  you  know  it ;  that  was  all  I  had  to  do 
with  it,  if  your  old  tub  went  to  the  bottom." 

"  I  don't  want  you  in  this  vessel ;  you  are  too 
smart  for  me,"  continued  Captain  John,  who  could 
not  combat  the  clinching  argument  of  the  youth. 

"  I'll  leave  her  just  as  soon  as  we  get  to  Port 
Rock,"  said  Lawry,  sitting  down  on  the  rail. 

The  rain  ceased  in  a  few  moments,  and  the  skip 
per  ordered  the  jib,  which  had  before  been  useless, 
to  be  set.  At  the  invitation  of  Mrs.  Captain  John, 
Lawry  went  below  and  ate  his  dinner,  to  which  he 
felt  himself  entitled,  for  he  was  working  his  passage 
up  from  Plattsburg.  By  the  time  he  had  disposed 
of  the  last  piece  of  green-apple  pie  on  board,  the 
Missisque  was  before  Port  Rock,  which  was  the  home 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.        23 

of  the  young  pilot,  and  he  saw  his  father's  ferry 
boat  at  the  shore  as  he  came  on  deck. 

"Will  you  put  me  ashore  here, -Captain  John?" 
asked  Lawry. 

"  Yes,  I  will ;  and  I'm  glad  to  get  rid  of  you," 
replied  the  captain,  testily. 

"  I  think  I  will  land  here,  also,''  added  the  bank 
director.  "  Now  you  have  lost  your  sail,  I'm  afraid 
you  won't  get  along  very  fast." 

"  I  don't  expect  I  shall.  I  shan't  get  to  Shore- 
ham  till  to-morrow  morning  with  this  wind.  I'm 
sorry  it  happened  so  ;  but  that  boy  didn't  mind 
what  he  was  about." 

"  The  captain  didn't  mind  what  he  was  about," 
added  Lawry.  "  He  needn't  lay  it  to  me,  when  it 
was  all  his  own  fault." 

"  I  will  cross  the  lake,  and  get  a  horse  at  Point- 
ville,  so  that  I  shall  be  in  Shoreham  by  five  o'clock," 
continued  the  bank  director,  who  was  disposed  to 
remain  neutral  between  the  contending  parties. 

Captain  John  ordered  one  of  the  men  to  pull  Mr. 
Randall  and  Lawry  ashore  in-  the  boat,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  they  were  landed  at  Port  Hock. 


24  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 


CHAPTER     II  . 

THE     PORT     EOCK    TERRY. 

LAWRENCE  WILFORD  -was  a  full-fledged  water 
fowl.  From  his  earliest  childhood  he  had  paddled 
in  Lake  Champlain.  His  father  had  a  small  place, 
consisting  of  ten  acres  of  land  with  a  small  cottage  ; 
but  it  was  still  encumbered  with  a  mortgage,  as  it 
had  been  for  twenty  years,  though  the  note  had 
passed  through  several  hands,  and  had  been  three 
times  renewed.  John  Wilford  was  not  a  very  sa 
gacious  nor  a  very  energetic  man,  and  had  not  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  the  race  for  wealth  or  for  fame. 
He  wanted  to  be  rich,  but  he  was  not  willing  to 
pay  the  price  of  riches. 

His  place  was  a  short  distance  from  the  village 
of  Port  Rock,  and  John  Wilford,  at  the  time  he 
had  purchased  the  land  and  built  his  house,  had 
established  a  ferry,  which  had  been,  and  was  still, 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        25 

his  principal  means  of  support ;  for  there  was  con 
siderable  travel  between  Port  Rock  and  Pointville, 
on  the  Vermont  side  of  the  lake. 

The  ferryman  was  a  poor  man,  and  was  likely  to 
remain  a  poor  man  to  the  end  of  his  life.  Hardly 
a  day  passed  in  which  he  did  not  sigh  to  be  rich, 
and  complain  of  the  unequal  and  unjust  distribution 
of  property.  He  could  point  to  a  score  of  men  who 
had  not  worked  half  so  hard  as  he  had,  in  his  own 
opinion,  that  had  made  fortunes,  or  at  least  won  a 
competence,  while  he  was  as  poor  as  ever,  and  in 
danger  of  having  his  place  taken  away  from  him. 
People  said  that  John  Wilford  was  lazy;  that  he 
did  not  make  the  most  of  his  land,  and  that  his 
ferry,  with  closer  attention  to  the  wants  of  passen 
gers,  might  be  made  to  pay  double  the  amount  he 
made  from  it.  He  permitted  the  weeds  to  grow  in 
his  garden,  and  compelled  people  to  Avait  by  the 
hour  for  a  passage  across  the  lake. 

John  Wilford  wondered  that  he  could  not  grow 
rich,  that  he  could  not  pay  off  the  mortgage  on  his 
place.  He  seldom  sat  down  to  dinner  without  grum 
bling  at  his  hard  lot.  His  wife  was  a  sensible  wo- 
3 


26  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

man.  She  did  not  wonder  that  he  did  not  grow 
rich ;  only  that  he  contrived  to  keep  out  of  the 
poorhouse.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
and  if  he  had  been  half  as  smart  as  she  was,  pros 
perity  would  have  smiled  upon  the  family.  As  it 
was,  her  life  was  filled  up  with  struggles  to  make  the 
ends  meet ;  but,  though  she  had  the  worst  of  it,  she 
did  not  complain,  and  did  all  she  could  to  comfort 
and  encourage  her  thriftless  husband. 

The  oldest  son  was  as  near  like  his  father  as  one 
person  could  be  like  another.  He  was  eighteen  years 
old,  and  was  an  idle  and  dissolute  fellow.  Law 
rence,  the  second  son,  inherited  his  mother's  tact 
and  energy.  He  was  observing  and  enterprising, 
and  had  already  made  a  good  reputation  as  a  boat 
man  and  pilot.  He  had  worked  in  various  capaci 
ties  on  board  of  steamers,  canal  boats,  sloops,  and 
schooners,  and  in  five  years  had  visited  every  part 
of  the  lake  from  Whitehall  to  St.  John's. 

Speaking  technically,  his  bump  of  locality  was 
large,  and  he  was  as  familiar  with  the  navigation 
of  the  lake  as  any  pilot  on  its  waters.  Indeed,  he 
had  occasionally  served  as  a  pilot  on  board  steamers 


THE    YOUNG     PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       27 

and  other  vessels,  which  had  earned  for  him  the 
name  of  the  Young  Pilot,  by  which  he  was  often 
called.  But  his  business  was  not  piloting,  for  there 
was  but  little  of  this  work  to  be  done.  Unlike 
his  father,  he  was  willing  to  do  anything  which  would 
afford  him  a  fair  compensation,  and  in  his  five  years 
of  active  life  on  the  lake,  he  had  been  a  pilot,  a  deck 
hand,  a  waiter,  and  a  kitchen  assistant  on  board 
steamers,  and  a  sailor,  helmsman,  and  cook  on  board 
other  craft.  He  picked  up  considerable  money,  for  a 
boy,  by  his  enterprise,  which,  like  a  good  son,  with 
a  clear  apprehension  of  domestic  circumstances,  he 
gave  to  his  mother.  At  the  time  of  his  introduc 
tion  to  the  reader,  Lawry  had  just  piloted  a  canal 
boat,  with  movable  masts,  from  Whitehall  to  Platts- 
burg,  and  was  working  his  passage  home  on  the  Mis- 
sisque. 

"  Captain  John  feels  bad  about  the  loss  of  his 
sail,"  said  Mr.  Randall,  as  the  sloop's  boat  pulled 
off  from  the  shore. 

"  Yes,  he  does ;  but  it  was  his  own  fault,"  re 
plied  Lawry.  "  He  was  paying  too  much  atten 
tion  to  his  dinner  at  the  time." 


28  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

"  That's  true ;  he  was  very  fond  of  the  green- 
apple  pies." 

"  Well,  they  were  good,"  added  the  young  pilot, 
stirred  by  pleasant  memories  of  the  viands. 

"  I'm  sorry  he  lost  his  sail." 

"  It  wasn't  worth  much,  though  it  was  a  bad  time 
to  lose  it." 

"  He  lost  his  temper,  too.  I  wanted  to  land  on 
the  other  side,  but  the  captain  was  so  cross  I  didn't 
like  to  ask  him  when  we  were  so  close  to  this 
shore.  Your  father  is  the  ferryman,  I  believe." 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Will  you  ask  him  to  take  me  over  ? " 

"  He's  going  right  over  in  the  large  boat,  for 
there's  a  team  waiting  for  him,"  replied  Lawry, 
pointing  to  a  horse  and  wagon,  the  owner  of  which 
had  sounded  the  horn  just  as  the  passengers  from 
the  boat  landed. 

"  Ask  him  to  be  as  quick  as  possible,  for  I'm  in 
a  hurry,"  added  the  bank  director. 

"  Won't  you  come  into  the  house,  sir  ? " 

"  No,  I  will  sit  down  under  this  tree." 

Lawry   went    into    the    house,    where   the    familj 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF     LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       29 

were  at  dinner,  the  meal  having  been  delayed  By 
the  absence  of  the  ferryman  on  the  other  side  of  the 
lake.  The  youth  was  greeted  rather  coldly  by  his 
father,  and  very  warmly  by  his  mother. 

"  I'm  glad  you've  got  home,  Lawry,  for  Mr.  Sher 
wood  has  been  after  you  three  times,"  said  Mrs. 
Wilford,  when  the  young  pilot  had  been  duly  wel 
comed  by  all  the  family. 

"What  does  he  want?"   asked  Lawry. 

"  His  little  steamboat  is  at  Port  Henry,  and  he 
wants  you  to  go  up  and  pilot  her  down." 

"The  Woodville?" 

"  Yes,  that's  her  name,  I  believe." 

"  Well,  I'm  all  ready  to  go." 

"  Sit  down  and  eat  your  dinner." 

"  I've  been  to  dinner." 

"  Mr.  Sherwood  wanted  you  to  go  up  in  the  Sher 
man  ;  but  it  is  too  late  for  her,  and  he  may  go  in 
the  night  boat." 

"  I'm  ready  when  he  is.     Father,  there  is  a  gen 
tleman  outside  who  wants  to  go  over  the  lake  ;  and 
there    is    a    team    waiting    in    the    road,"    continued 
Lawry,  turning  to  his  father. 
3* 


30  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

• "  They  must  wait  till  I've  done  my  dinner,"  re-1 
plied  the  ferryman.  "  Who  is  the  gentleman  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Randall ;  he  is  a  director  in  a  bank,  and 
has  six  thousand  dollars  with  him." 

''I  suppose  so;  every  man  but  me  has  six  thou 
sand  dollars  in  his  pocket.  Where's  he  going  to  ?  " 

"  To  Shoreham,  and  he  wants  to  get  there  by  five 
o'clock,  if  he  can." 

"  What's  he  travelling  with  so  much  money  for  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  It  is  in  his  coat  pocket,  and 
it  would  have  gone  overboard  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
me." 

The  ferryman  finished  his  dinner  in  moody  silence. 
He  seemed  to  be  thinking  of  the  subject  always 
uppermost  in  his  mind,  his  thoughts  stimulated,  no 
doubt,  by  the  fact  that  his  expected  passenger  car 
ried  a  large  sum  of  money  on  his  person. 

"  Mr.  Randall  is  in  a  hurry,  father,"  interposed 
Lawry,  when  the  ferryman  had  sat  a  good  half  hour 
after  his  son's  arrival. 

"  He  must  wait  till  I  get  ready.  He's  got  money, 
and  I  haven't ;  but  I'm  just  as  good  as  he  is.  I  don't 
know  why  I'm  poor  when  so  many  men  are  rich. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       31 

But  I'm  going  to  be  rich,  somehow  or  other,"  said 
he,  with  more  earnestness  than  he  usually  exhibited. 
"  I'm  too  honest  for  my  own  good.  I'm  going  to  do 
as  other  men  do  ;  and  I  shall  wake  up  rich  some 
morning,  as  they  do.  Then  I  shan't  have  to  go  when, 
folks  blow  the  horn.  They'll  be  willing  to  wait  for 
me  then." 

"  Don't  keep  the  gentleman  waiting,  father,"  add 
ed  Mrs.  Wilford. 

"  I'm  going  to  be  rich,  somehow  or  other^"  con 
tinued  the  ferryman,  still  pursuing  the  exciting  line 
of  thought  he  had  before  taken  up.  "  I'm  going  to 
be  rich,  by  hook  or  by  crook." 

"  This  making  haste  to  get  rich  ruins  men  some 
times,  husband  ;  and  haste  makes  waste  then." 

"  If  I   can  only  get  rich,   I'll  risk  being  ruined, 
said   John   Wilford,    as   he   rose   from   the   table  and 
put  on  his  hat. 

lie  looked  more  moody  and  discontented  than 
usual.  Instead  of  hastening  to  do  the  work  which 
was  waiting  for  him,  he  stood  before  the  window 
looking  out  into  the  garden.  Mrs.  Wilford  told  him 
the  gentleman  would  be  impatient,  and  he  finally 


32  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

left  the  house,  and  walked  down  to  the  ferry 
boat. 

"  I  wonder  what  your  father  is  thinking  about," 
said  Mrs.  Wilford,  as  the  door  closed  behind  him. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Lawry  ;  "  he  don't  seem 
to  be  thinking  that  people  won't  wait  forever  for 
him.  I  guess  I'll  go  up  to  Mr.  Sherwood's,  and  see 
when  he  wants  me." 

"  You  must  fix  up  a  little  before  you  go,"  added 
the  prudent  mother.  "  They  are  very  grand  people 
up  at  Mr.  Sherwood's,  and  you  must  look  as  well  as 
you  can." 

"  I'll  put  on  my  best  clothes,"  added  Lawry,  as 
he  thought  of  the  fine  ladies  he  had  seen  at  the 
great  house. 

In  half  an  hour  he  had  changed  his  dress,  and 
looked  like  another  boy.  Mrs.  Wilford  adjusted  a 
few  stray  locks  of  his  hair,  anrl  as  he  put  on  his 
new  straw  hat,  and  left  the  house,  her  eye  followed 
him  with  a  feeling  of  motherly  pride.  He  was  a 
good  boy,  and  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  very 
smart  boy,  and  she  may  be  pardoned  for  the  parental 
vanity  with  which  she  regarded  him.  Whilo  he 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT     OF    LAKE    CHAMFLAIN.       33 

visits  the  house  of  Mr.  Sherwood,  we  will  follow 
his  father  down  to  the  ferry,  where  the  bank  di 
rector  was  impatiently  waiting  his  appearance. 

After  the  shower  the  sun  had  come  out  brightly, 
and  the  wind  had  abated  so  that  there  was  hardly 
breeze  enough  to  ruffle  the  waters  of  the  lake.  It 
was  intensely  warm,  and  Mr.  Randall  had  taken  off 
nis  coat  again,  but  he  was  eareful  to  keep  it  on  his 
arm.  At  the  approach  of  the  ferryman  he  went  into 
the  boat,  where  he  was  followed  by  the  vehicle  that 
had  been  waiting  so  long  for  a  passage  across  the  lake. 

John  Wilford  pushed  off  the  boat  with  a  pole, 
and  trimmed  the  sail,  which  was  the  motive  power  of 
the  craft  when  there  was  any  wind.  The  ferry-boat 
was  a  large  bateau,  or  flat-boat,  the  slope  at  the  ends 
being  so  gradual  that  a  wagon  could  pass  down  over 
it  to  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  This  inclined  plane 
was  extended  by  a  movable  platform  about  six  feet 
wide,  which  swung  horizontally  up  and  down,  like 
a  great  trap-door.  When  the  ferry-boat  touched 
the  shore,  this  platform  was  let  down  upon  the 
ground,  forming  a  slope  on  which  carriages  were 
driven  into  and  out  of  the  bateau. 


34  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

At  each  end  of  the  platform  there  was  a  long 
lever,  extending  in-board  ;  and  \vhen  the  boat  was 
ready  to  start,  the  ends  of  the  levers  were  dropped 
down,  and  secured  in  large  iron  rings.  The  drop 
was  thus  elevated  above  the  water,  and  on  a  level 
with  it,  making  a  platform  on  which  the  steersman 
stood,  and  worked  a  long,  crooked  oar,  by  which  the 
course  of  the  boat  wag  controlled.  The  mast  was 
fixed  in  the  middle  of  one  side  of  the  boat,  where 
it  would  not  interfere  with  the  standing  room  of 
vehicles.  The  sail  was  trimmed  forward  or  aft  of 
the  mast,  according  to  the  direction  the  boat  was 
to  go. 

Attached  to  the  same  side  of  the  boat  with  the 
mast,  one  forward  and  one  aft  the  sail,  were  two 
large  elliptical  pieces  of  plank,  swinging  on  pivots 
at  one  end,  which  answered  the  purpose  of  a  keel, 
when  the  boat  was  going  on  the  wind,  such  as  may 
be  seen  on  the  Dutch  vessels  on  the  Rhine  and  the 
Scheldt. 

The  wind  was  very  light,  and  the  clumsy  craft 
moved  very  slowly  —  so  slowly  that  the  passage  prom 
ised  to  be  a  severe  trial  to  the  patience  of  Mr.  Ran- 


THE    YOUXG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       oO 

dall,  who  hoped  to  reach  Shoreham  by  five  o'clock. 
He  was  not  in  a  very  amiable  frame  of  mind  ;  he 
was  angry  at  the  delay  in  starting,  and  he  was  vexed 
because  the  wind  would  not  blow.  He  walked  ner 
vously  from  the  forward  platform  to  the  after  one, 
with  his  coat  still  on  his  arm. 

"  We  shall  not  get  over  to-night,"  said  he,  impa 
tiently,  as  he  stopped  by  the  side  of  the  ferryman, 
and  threw  his  coat  down  upon  the  platform,  while 
he  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  brow. 

"  Yes,  I  guess  we  shall,"  replied  John  Wilford, 
glancing  at  the  coat. 

"  I'll  give  you  a  dollar  if  you  will  land  me  at 
Pointville  by  three  o'clock." 

"  I  can't  make  the  wind  blow,  if  you  would  give 
me  a  hundred  dollars." 

"  Can't  you  use  the  pole  or  the  oars  ? "  said  the 
bank  director,  petulantly ;  "  you  kept  me  waiting 
half  an  hour  before  you  started." 

"  I  couldn't  help  that,"  replied  John  Wilford,  who 
felt  that  this  remark  was  a  tyrannical  use  of  speech  — 
the  language  of  a  rich  man  speaking  to  a  poor  man. 

Mr.  Randall  walked  to  the  forward  platform,  fret- 


36  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

ting  with  impatience  at  the  indifference  of  the  ferry 
man.  He  stood  for  a  few  minutes  gazing  at  the 
Vermont  shore,  and  appeared  to  be  engaged  in  esti 
mating  the  distance  yet  to  be  accomplished.  The 
calculation  was  not  satisfactory,  and  the  bank  di 
rector's  wrath  was  on  the  increase.  With  hasty  step 
he  walked  aft  again. 

"  I  think  we  shall  have  more  wind  in  a  minute," 
said  John  Wilford,  as  he  stepped  down  from  the 
platform,  and  adjusted  the  sheet. 

"  If  we  don't  I  shall  go  cra/y,"  replied  Mr.  llan- 
dall,  as  he  was  about  to  step  upon  the  after  drop. 

When  he  had  placed  one  foot  on  the  platform,  by 
some  means,  the  drop,  true  to  its  name,  went  down 
and  splashed  in  the  water.  The  bank  director 
stepped  back  in  season  to  save  himself  from  a  cold 
bath  or  a  watery  grave,  as  the  case  might  be. 

"  My  coat !  save  my  coat  !  "  shouted  Mr.  Randall, 
as  the  garment  rolled  off  the  platform  into  the  water. 

"  Why  didn't  you  hold  on  to  it  ? "  said  John 
Wrilford. 

"  Save  my  coat !  There  is  six  thousand  dollars  in 
the  pocket,"  groaned  the  unhappy  bank  director. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        37 


CHAPTER     III. 

SIX     THOUSAND     DOLLAKS. 

WITHIN  half  a  mile  of  the  ferryman's  cottage,  at 
Port  Rock,  was  the  summer  residence  of  Mr.  Sher 
wood,  who,  two  years  before,  had  become  the  hus 
band  of  Bertha  Grant,  of  Woodville.  The  house  had 
just  been  completed,  and  the  young  couple  had  taken 
possession  of  it  on  the  first  of  July.  The  locality 
had  always  been  a  favorite  resort  of  Mr.  Sherwood. 
The  scenery  in  the  immediate  vicinity  was  beautiful, 
and  the  windows  of  the  new  mansion  commanded  a 
splendid  view  of  the  Adirondack  Mountains,  and  of 
the  lake. 

Mr.  Sherwood  was  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the 
scenery  of  Lake  Champlain.  His  constant  visits  at 
Woodville  had  given  him  a  taste  for  aquatic  sports, 
in  which  he  was  disposed  to  indulge  on  a  larger 
scale  than  ever  had  been  known  at  Woodville.  He 
4 


38  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

had  been  remarkably  fortunate  in  his  financial  op 
erations,  and  was  already  a  wealthy  man.  Though 
he  did  not  retire  from  active  business,  he  had  taken 
a  partner,  which  enabled  him  to  spend  a  part  of  his 
time  during  the  summer  at  his  country  house  on. 
the  lake. 

Mr.  Grant  had  gone  to  Europe  a  second  time,  to 
be  absent  during  the  summer,  and  Miss  Fanny  and 
Fanny  Jane  had  accepted  Bertha's  invitation  to  spend 
a  few  weeks  at  Port  Rock.  A  splendid  time  had 
been  promised  them  by  Mrs.  Sherwood,  who  had 
made  extensive  preparations  for  their  visit.  The 
arrangements  included  a  novelty  which  offered  a 
very  brilliant  prospect  to  the  party,  and  excited  the 
imagination  even  of  the  older  ones  to  the  highest 
pitch. 

This  novelty  was  nothing  less  than  a  miniature 
steamboat,  which  had  already  been  christened  the 
"  Woodville,"  in  honor  of  the  home  of  the  owner's 
lady.  She  was  a  splendid  little  craft,  and  as  per 
fect  in  her  machinery  and  appointments  as  any 
steamer  that  ever  floated.  She  was  a  side-wheel 
boat,  sixty  feet  in  length,  by  twelve  feet  beam. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        39 

Forward  there  were  a  regular  wheel-house,  a  small 
kitchen,  and  other  rooms  usually  found  in  a  steamer. 
Abaft  the  wheels  there  were  a  saloon  and  two  state 
rooms.  Of  course  all  these  apartments,  as  well  as 
the  cabin  below,  were  very  contracted  in  their  di 
mensions  ;  but  they  were  fitted  up  in  the  most  ele 
gant  style.  The  family  had  seen  her,  in  an  unfinished 
state,  in  New  York  city,  where  she  was  built ;  and 
even  Mr.  Sherwood  and  Bertha  looked  forward  with 
childish  anticipations  to  the  time  when  they  should 
glide  with  her  over  the  bright  waters  of  the  beau 
tiful  lake. 

The  Woodville  had  cost  a  great  deal  of  money; 
but  her  owner  expected  to  realize  a  full  return  for 
it  in  the  enjoyment  she  would  afford  him,  his  wife, 
and  their  friends.  She  had  been  sent  up  the  Hud 
son,  and  through  the  canal  to  Whitehall,  and  thence 
to  Port  Henry,  where  she  had  arrived  on  the  day 
before  Lawry  Wilford's  return  to  Port  Rock. 

On  board  of  the  little  steamer  there  is  an  old 
friend  of  our  readers.  He  may  be  found  in  the 
engine-room ;  and  as  he  rubs  up  the  polished  iron 
of  the  machinery,  he  is  thinking  of  Fanny  Jane 


40  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OB 

Grant,  with  whom  he  escaped  from  the  Indians  in 
Minnesota,  and  whom  he  expects  on  board  with  Mr. 
Sherwood's  party.  The  young  man,  now  sixteen 
years  of  age,  is  the  engineer  of  the  Woodville. 
Though  he  has  been  but  two  years  learning  the 
trade  of  a  machinist,  he  is  as  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  every  part  of  a  marine  engine  as  though  he 
had  spent  his  lifetime  in  studying  it. 

The  engine  of  the  Woodville  Avas  built  at  the 
works  where  Ethan  French  was  learning  his  trade, 
and  he  had  been  employed  in  its  construction.  As 
he  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  Woodville,  he  had  pe 
titioned  for  the  situation  he  now  held.  At  first, 
Mr.  Sherwood  was  not  willing  to  trust  him ;  but 
Ethan's  employers  declared  that  he  was  a  man  in 
everything  but  years,  and  was  fully  competent  to 
manage  the  engine,  and  even  to  build  one  after 
the  designs  were  made.  He  had  come  up  from 
New  York  in  the  steamer.  He  had  seen  Mr.  Sher 
wood  at  Port  Henry,  on  his  arrival,  and  had  been 
ordered  to  have  the  boat  in  readiness  to  start  on 
the  following  morning,  when  the  family  would  be 
passengers. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        41 

Mr.  Sherwood  had  already  selected  Lawry  Wilford 
as  the  pilot  of  the  Woodville.  He  was  small  in 
stature,  and  would  look  better  in  the  wheel-house 
than  a  full-grown  man.  He  had  often  met  the 
young  pilot,  and  had  been  greatly  pleased  with  his 
energy  and  decision.  Lawry  had  been  employed  by 
Miss  Fanny  several  times  to  row  her  on  the  lake ; 
and  he  had  served  her  so  faithfully  that  her  influ 
ence  was  not  wanting  in  procuring  for  him  the 
situation. 

Lawry,  not  yet  informed  of  the  honorable  and 
responsible  position  which  had  been  awarded  to 
him,  walked  up  to  Mr.  Sherwood's  house.  He  had 
heard  Miss  Fanny  speak  of  the  Woodville,  while  in 
the  boat  with  him,  and  had  listened  with  delight 
to  her  enthusiastic  description  of  the  beautiful  craft. 
He  was  quite  as  anxious  to  see  her  as  any  of  the 
party  who  were  more  directly  interested  in  her. 

"  Can  I  see  Mr.  Sherwood  ?  "  asked  Lawry  of  the 
servant  who  answered  his  summons  at  the  door. 

"  He  has  gone  away,"  replied  the  man. 

"  Where  has  he  gone  ? " 
4* 


42  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

"  To  Port  Henry ;  he  went  in  the  carriage,  and 
is  coming  back  in  the  new  steamboat." 

"  Has  he  got  a  pilot  ?  "  continued  Lawry,  anx 
iously. 

"  I  don't  know ;  he  expected  you,  I  believe ;  but 
when  you  didn't  come  back,  he  couldn't  wait  any 
longer.  I  heard  him  say  he  could  pilot  her  him 
self,  and  I  suppose  he  is  going  to  do  so." 

"  I'm  sorry  I  didn't  see  him ;  I  have  but  just  got 
home,"  replied  Lawry,  as  he  turned  away  from  the 
door  with  a  feeling  of  disappointment. 

He  wanted  to  pilot  the  beautiful  little  steamer 
up  from  Port  Henry.  He  wanted  to  see  her ;  want 
ed  to  make  her  acquaintance,  for  she  promised  to 
be  the  belle  of  the  lake.  He  was  sorry  to  lose 
the  chance,  for  it  might  prove  to  be  a  valuable  one 
to  him.  Mr.  Sherwood  was  very  liberal,  and  he 
hoped  he  would  not  engage  another  pilot.  It  was 
no  use  to  complain,  and  Lawry  walked  back  to  the 
ferry,  where  he  could  see  the  steamer  when  she 
arrived.  When  he  reached  the  landing-place,  the 
ferry-boat  was  about  half  way  across  the  lake,  and 
his  attention  wafe  attracted  by  the  strange  move- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LA.KE    CHAMPLAIN.        45 

merits  of  those  on  board  of  her.  His  father  was 
laboring  at  the  steering  oar  with  a  zeal  which  in 
dicated  that  some  unusual  event  had  occurred.  The 
ferry-boat  was  thrown  up  into  the  wind,  and  while 
Lawry  was  waiting  to  ascertain  what  the  matter  was, 
his  father  leaped  into  the  water. 

It  was  now  evident  to  Lawry  that  something  seri 
ous  had  happened,  and  he  sprang  into  the  small 
keel-boat,  used  for  conveying  foot  passengers  across 
the  lake,  which  was  fastened  to  a  stake  on  the 
shore.  Taking  the  oars,  he  pulled  with  all  his 
might  towards  the  ferry-boat.  He  was  a  stout  boy, 
and  handled  his  oars  very  skilfully ;  but  before  he 
could  reach  the  scene  of  the  excitement,  his  father 
had  returned  to  the  bateau. 

"There's. your  coat,"  said  John  Wilford,  after  he 
had  climbed  into  the  ferry-boat,  just  as  Lawry  came 
alongside. 

Mr.  Randall  seized  the  garment  with  convulsive 
energy,  and  with  trembling  hands  felt  for  the  pock- 
etbook  in  which  the  six  thousand  dollars  had  been 
kept. 

"  It  is  gone  ! "  gasped  he ;    and  he  seemed  ready 


44  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OE 

to  sink  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  when  he 
discovered  his  loss. 

"  Gone  !  "  exclaimed  John  Wilford,  shaking  the 
water  from  his  dripping  locks. 

"  What's  the  matter  ? "  asked  Lawry. 

"  I've  lost  my  pocketbook,  Avith  six  thousand  dol 
lars  in  it,"  groaned  the  bank  director. 

"  How  did  you  lose  it  ? "  demanded  Lawry,  re 
membering  the  former  carelessness  of  the  passenger. 

"  That  drop  came  down  and  let  my  coat  into  the 
lake ;  but  I  don't  see  how  my  pocketbook  could  get 
out  of  the  coat." 

"  I  don't  believe  the  money  was  in  the  pocket," 
added  the  ferryman. 

"  Yes,  it  was,"  persisted  Mr.  Randall,  after  he 
had  examined  the  pockets  in  his  other  garments. 

"  I  don't  see  how  it  could  fall  out  of  the  pocket," 
said  John  Wilford. 

"  Nor  I ;  but  the  money  is  gone,"  answered  the 
bank  director,  with  a  vacant  stare.  "  I'm  ruined  !  " 

"Well,  I  can't  help  it.  I've  done  all  I  could  for 
you.  I  tried  to  save  it ;  and  if  I  get  the  rheumatism 
for  a  month  or  two,  it  will  be  a  bad  job  for  me." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        45 

"  Wasn't  the  pocketbook  in  the  pocket  when  you 
picked  up  the  coat  ? "  asked  Mr.  Randall,  walking 
up  to  the  ferryman. 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  "  replied  John  Wilford. 
"  I  gave  you  the  coat  just  as  I  found  it." 

"  I  don't  believe  the  pocketbook  would  sink," 
added  the  director,  unwilling  to  give  up  all  hope 
of  recovering  his  money.  "  There  was  nothing  but 
paper  in  it." 

"  Of  course  it  wouldn't  sink,  then,"  interposed  the 
owner  of  the  vehicle  in  the  ferry-boat. 

"  I  don't  think  it  would,"  said  Mr.  Randall,  who 
had  some  doubts  on  this  point. 

"  I  know  it  wouldn't,"  protested  the  stranger.  "  I 
dropped  my  pocketbook  into  the  lake  once,  and  it 
floated  ten  minutes  before  I  could  get  it  again." 

"  Then  it  must  be  floating  about  on  the  water," 
added  Lawry.  "  I  will  try  to  find  it." 

"  I'll  go  with  you,"  said  Mr.  Randall. 

They  got  into  the  boat,  and  Lawry  pulled  about 
the  spot  where  the  coat  had  fallen  into  the  water 
for  half  an  hour  without  discovering  the  pocketbook. 

"  I  suppose  I  must  give  it  up,"  sighed  the  director, 


46  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

when  it  was  rendered  certain  that  the  treasure  was 
not  floating  on  the  lake. 

"  I'm  sure  it's  not  on  the  water,"  replied  Lawry. 

"  Do  you  suppose  it  would  sink  ? " 

"  I  don't  know ;  the  gentleman  in  the  ferry-boat 
says  it  wouldn't." 

"  Stop  a  minute,  boy,  and  I  will  soon  find  out," 
continued  the  unfortunate  loser  of  the  money,  as  a 
bright  thought  struck  him. 

He  took  all  the  money  and  papers  out  of  his 
wallet,  and  stuffed  it  with  pieces  of  newspaper  which 
Lawry  gave  him.  Having  thus  prepared  the  wallet, 
which  he  said  was  of  the  same  material  as  the  lost 
pocketbook,  he  placed  it  on  the  surface  of  the  water, 
holding  his  hand  underneath  to  save  it,  in  case  the 
trial  should  result  differently  from  his  anticipations. 
It  floated,  and  he  removed  his  hand  from  under 
it  to  exhibit  his  confidence  in  the  law  he  had 
tested. 

"  That's  plain  enough,"  said  he.  "  My  pocket- 
book  hasn't  gone  to  the  bottom." 

"  It  certainly  has  not,"  replied  Lawry. 

"  Then  where  is  it  ?  —  that's  the  next  question." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        47 

"  Are  you  sure  it  was  in  your  pocket  when  you 
got  into  the  ferry-boat  ?  " 

"  Just  as  sure  as  I  am  that  I  sit  here." 

"  You  were  very  careless  about  your  coat  on  board 
of  the  sloop." 

"  I  know  I  was." 

"  I  don't  see  how  a  man  could  throw  down  his 
coat  with  six  thousand  dollars  in  the  pocket,"  said 
Lawry,  who  was  now  almost  sure  the  passenger  had 
lost  his  money  before  he  went  into  the  ferry-boat. 

"  I  know  I'm  careless ;  but  I'm  so  used  to  car 
rying  money  that  I  don't  think  much  about  it.  I 
always  carry  it  in  a  pocket  inside  of  my  vest,"  con 
tinued  the  director,  putting  his  hand  on  the  place 
indicated ;  "  but  this  is  a  new  vest,  and  hasn't  any 
such  pocket.  Things  don't  look  all  right  to  me.  Is 
the  ferryman  your  father  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir  ;    he  is." 

"  Well,  the  money's  gone,"  added  Mr.  Randall, 
without  following  up  the  line  of  thought  which  was 
in  his  mind.  "  We  will  go  back  to  the  ferry-boat." 

"  Did  you  find  it  ? "  asked  John  Wilford,  as  the 
bank  director  stepped  into  the  bateau. 


48  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Xo ;  but  I'm  certain  it  has  not  gone  to  the 
bottom." 

"  Where  is  it,  then?" 

"I  don't  know;    can  you  tell  me?" 

Mr.  Randall  looked  at  the  ferryman  very  sharp 
ly.  His  manner  indicated  that  he  had  some  sus 
picions. 

"  How  can  I  tell  you  ? "  replied  John  Wilford. 

"  The  money  was  in  the  coat  pocket  when  you 
picked  it  up  in  the  water  —  I  know  it  was." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  I  took  it  out  ? "  demanded 
the  ferryman,  angrily. 

"  If  you  didn't,  I  don't  see  what  has  become 
of  it." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  accuse  my  father  of  stealing  ?  " 
said  Lawry,  indignantly,  as  he  boldly  confronted  the 
bank  director. 

"  I  don't  accuse  him  of  anything ;  but  here  are 
the  facts,  and  you  can  all  see  for  yourselves." 

"  You  throw  your  coat  down  anywhere.  It  would 
have  gone  overboard  from  the  sloop  if  I  hadn't  saved 
it ;  and  it  won't  do  for  so  careless  a  man  as  you 
are  to  accuse  anybody  of  stealing  your  money,"  added 


THE    YOUNG    PII/OT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        49 

Lawry,  angrily.  "  Very  likely  you  lost  it  out  of  the 
pocket  before  you  got  into  the  ferry-boat." 

"  Never  mind  him,  Lawry.  I  haven't  got  his 
pocketbook,"  interposed  the  ferryman,  fearing  that 
his  son's  indignation  would  lead  him  astray. 

"  I  know  you  haven't,  father  ;  and  it  makes  me 
mad  to  hear  him  accuse  you  of  stealing  it." 

"  Mr.  Randall,  if  you  think  I've  got  your  money, 
I  want  you  to  satisfy  yourself  on  the  point  at  once," 
continued  John  Wilford,  turning  to  the  director. 

"  I  hope  you  haven't." 

"  But  you  think  I  have.     Search  me,   then." 

Greatly  to  the  indignation  of  Lawry,  Mr.  Randall 
did  search  the  ferryman ;  turned  out  his  pockets, 
and  examined  every  part  of  his  wet  garments.  The 
pocketbook  was  not  upon  his  person  ;  and  the  loser, 
in  spite  of  the  laws  of  specific  gravity,  which  he  had 
just  demonstrated,  was  almost  compelled  to  believe 
that  his  money  had  gone  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 
5 


50  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 


CHAPTER     IV. 

THE     STEAMER     WOODVILLE. 

MR.  RANDALL,  now  that  his  money  was  lost,  de 
clared  that  he  had  no  business  in  Shoreham,  and 
it  was  useless  for  him  to  go  there.  The  six  thou 
sand  dollars  belonged  to  his  bank,  and,  having  an 
opportunity  to  put  this  sum  in  circulation,  where  it 
would  be  "kept  oxit"  for  several  weeks,  he  was 
making  this  journey  to  accomplish  the  business.  He 
facetiously  remarked  that  it  was  likely  to  be  kept 
out  longer  than  was  desirable. 

Lawry  was  so  sure  Mr.  Randall  had  dropped  the 
pocketbook  on  the  shore  before  he  got  into  the 
ferry-boat,  that  he  insisted  upon  returning  to  Port 
Rock,  and  having  the  ground  searched.  Though 
the  bank  director  was  satisfied  that  the  pocketbook 
was  safe  in  his  possession  when  he  entered  the  ba 
teau,  he  was  willing  to  return,  since  the  object  of  his 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLATN.       51 

>  journey  had  been  defeated,  and  Lawry  pulled  him 
back  to  the  landing-place.  The  ground  under  the 
tree,  and  over  which  Mr.  Randall  had  walked  while 
\vaiting  for  the  ferryman,  was  carefully  examined, 
but  the  lost  pocketbook  could  not  be  found. 

The  bank  director  had  very  little  to  say  after  he 
left  the  ferry-boat ;  but  he  was  very  thoughtful,  as  a 
man  who  had  lost  six  thousand  dollars  might  reason 
ably  be.  After  the  search  on  shore  was  completed, 
he  walked  off  towards  the  village  without  mention 
ing  his  intentions,  but  he  looked  as  though  he  pur 
posed  to  do  something. 

"What's  the  matter,  Lawry?"  asked  Mrs.  Wil- 
ford,  who  had  been  watching  the  movements  of  Mr. 
Randall  and  her  son  from  the  window,  as  she  came 
out  .of  the  house. 

"  The  gentleman  has  lost  his  money  —  six  thou 
sand  dollars,"  replied  Lawry. 

"  Lost  it !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Wilford,  recalling  the 
conversation  with  her  husband  at  dinner. 

"  His  coat  fell  overboard,  and  the  pocketbook 
dropped  out." 

"  Fell  into  the  lake,"  added  she,  with  a  feeling 
of  relief. 


52  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OB 

"  Yes ;  father  swam  out  and  got  the  coat,  but  the 
money  was  gone." 

Mrs.  Wilford  returned  to  the  house.  Perhaps  she 
had  some  misgivings,  and  felt  more  than  before  that 
those  who  make  haste  to  be  rich  are  often  ruined ; 
but  she  said  nothing.  Lawry  was  perplexed  at  the 
disappearance  of  the  money.  Mr.  Randall  had 
proved  that  a  pocketbook  with  nothing  but  paper 
in  it  would  not  sink  within  a  reasonable  time.  If 
the  lost  treasure  had  fallen  into  the  water,  he  would 
certainly  have  found  it.  If  it  had  been  dropped  on 
shore  or  in  the  ferry-boat,  it  could  not  have  disap 
peared  so  strangely. 

Lawry  was  so  positive  that  the  pocketbook  was 
still  in  the  ferry-boat,  or  on  the  shore,  that  he  re 
newed  the  search,  and  carefully  scrutinized  every 
foot  of  ground  between  the  house  and  the  landing- 
place,  but  with  no  better  success  than  before.  By 
this  time,  the  ferry-boat,  which  had  been  favored  by 
a  good  wind  during  the  last  half  hour,  returned. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  became  of  that  pocket- 
book,  father  ?  "  asked  Lawry,  as  he  stepped  into  the 
boat. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       53 

"  I  don't  know.  I  don't  believe  he  lost  any  pock/ 
etbook,"  replied  John  Wilford. 

"  He  says  he  did,  and  I  saw  it  myself." 

"  Perhaps  you  did,  but  I  don't  believe  there  was 
any  six  thousand  dollars  in  it.  If  there  had  been, 
he  wouldn't  have  thrown  it  about  as  he  did." 

"  He  says  there  was  six  thousand  dollars  in  the 
pocketbook." 

"  I  don't  believe  it.  It's  a  likely  story  that  a  man 
would  throw  down  his  coat,  with  all  that  money  in 
the  pocket,  on  the  drop.  In  my  opinion  it's  some 
trick  to  cheat  his  creditors  out  of  their  just  due." 

"  It  don't  seem  possible." 

"  That's  the  truth,  you  may  depend  upon  it. 
That's  the  way  men  make  money." 

Lawry  was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  this  ex 
planation.  He  went  into  the  boat,  and  carefully 
searched  every  part  of  it.  His  father  watched  him 
with  considerable  interest,  declaring  that  it  was  use 
less  to  look  for  what  had  not  been  lost. 

"  You  had  better  go  up  and  see  Mr.   Sherwood 
now,"  said  Mr.  Wilford,  as  he  seated  himself  on  the 
platform  of  his  boat. 
5* 


54  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

"  I  have  been  up,  and  he  was  not  at  home." 

"  You  better  go  again,  then." 

"  He  has  gone  to  Port  Henry  after  the  new 
steamer." 

"  Has  he  got  a  pilot  ?  " 

"  Not   that  I  know  of." 

"  He  can't  get  one  at  Port  Henry,"  said  the  ferry 
man,  with  singular  indifference ;  and  his  whole  man 
ner  seemed  quite  strange  to  his  son. 

"  I  suppose  he  is  going  to  pilot  her  himself." 

"  He  will  pilot  her  on  the  rocks,  then.  He  don't 
know  anything  about  Lake  Champlain.  Why  don't 
you  row  up  the  lake  till  you  meet  the  boat." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  doing  so,  but  I  can't  keep 
this  money  out  of  my  mind." 

•  "  Why   need    you    trouble   yourself   about    that  ? " 
demanded  the  father,  impatiently. 

"  It  was  lost  in  your  boat,  and  I  am  very  anxious 
that  it  should  be  found.  I'm  sure  Mr.  Randall  thinks 
you've  got  it." 

"  Well,  he  searched  me,  and  found  out  that  I  hadn't 
got  it  —  didn't  he  ? "  added  Mr.  Wilford,  with  a 
sickly  smile. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        55 

"  I  don't  like  to  have  you  suspected  of  such  a 
thing,  and  for  that  reason  I  want  to  find  the  money." 

"  You  can't  find  it,  and  I  tell  you  he  hasn't  lost 
any  money.  He's  going  to  cheat  the  bank  or  his 
creditors  out  of  six  thousand  dollars." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  would  do  such  a  thing  as  that." 

"  We  have  looked  everywhere  for  the  money,  and 
it  can't  be  found.  It's  no  use  to  bother  any  more 
about  the  matter.  It's  gone,  and  that's  the  end  of 
it  —  if  he  lost  it  at  all.  You  have  looked  all  over 
the  ferry-boat,  and  it  isn't  there.  If  it  had  been 
floating  on  the  lake,  you  couldn't  help  seeing  it. 
Now,  you  better  take  your  boat  and  row  up  the  lake 
till  you  meet  the  steamer." 

"  I'm  going  pretty  soon." 

"  Better  go  now." 

The  ferryman  rose  from  his  seat,  walked  up  and 
down  on  the  boat  two  or  three  times,  adjusted  the 
sheet,  replaced  the  oars,  and  seemed  to  be  very 
uneasy.  He  was  evidently  anxious  that  his  son 
should  leave  the  landing  ;  but  Lawry  was  still  think 
ing  of  the  lost  money  and  the  suspicion  against  his 
father. 


56  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  I'm  going  up  after  a  drink  of  water.  If  you 
don't  go  pretty  soon  you  will  be  too  late  to  do  any 
good  on  board  the  steamer,"  said  Mr.  Wilford,  per 
haps  hoping,  if  he  left  the  spot,  his  son  would 
depart  also. 

Lawry  hauled  in  the  row-boat,  ready  to  embark  ; 
but,  before  he  did  so,  he  made  one  more  search  in 
the  bateau  for  the  pocketbook.  The  timbers  of  the 
ferry-boat  were  ceiled  over  on  the  bottom,  leaving  a 
space  for  the  leakage  between  the  inner  and  the 
outer  planking.  Near  the  mast  there  was  a  well, 
from  which,  with  a  grain  shovel,  the  water  was 
thrown  out.  Lawry  examined  this  hole,  feeling  under 
the  planks,  and  thrusting  the  shovel  in  as  far  as  he 
could.  This  starch,  like  the  former  ones,  was  unavail 
ing,  and  he  gave  it  up  in  despair.  As  he  stepped 
on  shore,  his  curiosity  prompted  him  to  look  under 
the  platform  outside  of  the  boat. 

The  pocketbook  was  there  ! 

In  a  space  between  the  planks,  a  foot  above  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  the  same  distance  from 
the  side,  the  pocketbook  was  thrust  in.  It  could 
not  be  seen  from  the  inside  of  the  boat,  nor  from 


THE    YOUXG    PILOT    OP    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.         57 

the  platform ;  and  it  could  not  have  got  there  of 
itself. 

Lawry's  face  turned  red,  and  his  heart  bounded 
with  emotion,  for  the  situation  of  the  pocketbook 
pointed  to  but  one  conclusion.  It  had  been  placed 
there  by  his  father,  who  had  evidently  taken  it  from 
the  pocket  of  the  coat,  and  concealed  it,  either  before 
or  after  the  garment  had  fallen  into  the  water.  He 
was  appalled  and  horrified  at  the  discovery.  He 
knew  that  his  father  was  discontented  with  his  lot  ; 
that  he  was  indolent  and  thriftless  ;  but  he  did  not 
think  him  capable  of  committing  a  crime. 

He  reached  under  the  platform,  and  took  the 
pocketbook  from  its  hiding-place.  It  was  perfectly 
dry ;  it  ,had  not  been  in  the  water.  John  Wilford 
had  probably  taken  it  from  the  coat  pocket,  and 
after  thrusting  it  into  the  aperture  beneath  the  drop, 
had  let  the  platform  fall  into  the  water  for  the  pur- 
pose  of  dislodging  the  coat,  and  making  it  appear 
that  the  money  had  been  lost  in  the  lake. 

The  pocketbook  seemed  to  burn  in  Lawry's  fingers, 
and  he  returned  it  to  the  place  where  he  had  found 
it ;  for  he  was  confused,  and  did  not  know  what  to 


58  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

do.  He  stood,  with  flushed  face  and  beating  heart, 
on  the  shore,  considering  what  course  he  should  take. 
He  could  not  think  of  exposing  his  father's  crime,  on 
the  one  hand,  or  of  permitting  him  to  retain  the 
money,  on  the  other. 

After  long  and  painful  deliberation,  he  decided  to 
take  the  pocketbook,  follow  Mr.  Ilandall,  and  return 
it  to  him,  telling  him  that  he  had  found  it  under  the 
drop  of  the  boat.  He  was  about  to  adopt  this  course 
when  his  father  came  out  of  the  house,  and  walked 
down  to  the  ferry-boat. 

"  Not  gone  yet  ?  "   said  Mr.  Wilford. 

"  No,  sir  ;  that  money  has  troubled  me  so  much 
that  I  could  not  go,"  replied  Lawry,  with  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  ground. 

"  What's  the  use  of  bothering  your  head  about 
that  any  longer  ? "  added  the  father,  petulantly. 

"It  troubles  me  terribly." 

"  Let  it  go  ;  it  can't  be  found,  and  that's  the  end 
of  it." 

"  But  it  can  be  found." 

"  Why  don't  you  find  it,  then  ?  " 

"  I  have  found  it,  father  !  " 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        59 

"  What ! " 

"  It's  in  a  crack  under  the  platform,"  replied  Law- 
ry,  so  confused  with  grief  and  shame  that  he  could 
not  look  his  father  in  the  face. 

"  You  don't  mean  so  ! "  exclaimed  the  ferryman, 
betraying  no  little  agitation. 

"  It's  no  use  to  talk  round  the  barn,  father ;  the 
pocketbook  is  just  where  you  put  it." 

"  Where  I  put  it  ?     What  do  you  mean,  Lawry  ?  " 

"  There  it  is  in  the  crack  under  the  drop,  a  foot 
above  the  water.  It  did  not  wash  in  there  of  itself. 
O,  father  !  " 

Lawry,  unable  longer  to  control  his  feelings,  burst 
into  tears. 

"What  are  you  crying  about,  Lawry  ?  Do  you 
think  I  hid  the  pocketbook  ? " 

"  I  know  you  did,  father,"   sobbed  Lawry. 

"  Do  you  accuse  me  of  stealing  ?  "  demanded  ]\ir. 
Wilford,  Avith  a  weak  show  of  indignation. 

"  I  don't  accuse  you  of  anything,  father  ;  but  there 
it  is." 

"  You  mean  to  say  that  I  stole  it  ? " 

"O,  father!" 


60  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Stop  your  whining,  Lawry  !  What  possessed 
you  to  poke  round  after  what  did  not  concern  you  ? 
Now,  shut  up,  and  go  off  about  your  business." 

"  You  will  not  keep  it,  father  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  got  it.  If  you  have  found  it  in  the 
boat,  I  suppose  there  is  time  enough  to  think  what 
is  best  to  be  done." 

"  I  don't  want  any  time  to  think  of  it,"  replied 
Lawry ;  and  before  his  father  could  prevent  him, 
he  sprang  to  the  boat,  and  took  the  pocketbook  from 
its  place  of  concealment. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it  ? "  demanded 
Mr.  Wilford. 

"  I'm  going  to  find  Mr.  Randall,  and  give  it  back 
to  him,  as  quick  as  I  can." 

"What's  the  use  of  doing  that?" 

"  Because  it's  the  right  way  to  do." 

"  That  isn't  the  way  to  get  rich." 

'«  But  it's  the  way  to  keep  honest." 

"  Give  it  to  me,  Lawry." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it,  father  ?  " 

"  That's  my  business." 

"  I  shall  give  it  back  to  the  oAvner." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.         61 

"  No,  you  won't,  Lawry.  Do  you  want  to  get  me 
into  trouble  —  to  have  me  sent  to  jail  ?  " 

"  If  I  give  it  back  to  Mr.  llandall,  there  will  be 
no  trouble." 

"  Lawry,  I've  been  poor  and  honest  long  enough. 
I'm  going  to  do  as  other  men  do.  I'm  going  to  get 
rich." 

"  By  keeping  this  money  ? "  exclaimed  the  son, 
aghast  at  the  moral  weakness  of  his  father. 

"  You  needn't  talk  any  more  about  it ;  I  put  the 
money  where  you  found  it." 

"  I  know  you  did." 

*'  Give  it  to  me." 

"  I  will  not,  father,  if  you  mean  to  keep  it." 

"I  do  mean  to  keep  it.  Do  you  think  I  have 
run  all  this  risk  for  nothing  ?  Give  me  the  pocket- 
book." 

"  Don't  think  of  such  a  thing  as  keeping  it,  fa 
ther,"  pleaded  Lawry. 

"  I'm  going  to  be  rich,"  replied  the  father,  dog 
gedly. 

"  You  know  what  mother  said  about  making  haste 
to  be  rich  :  '  HASTE  MAKES  WASTE.'  " 
6 


62 


"  It  will  make  waste  if  you  don't  give  me  the 
pocketbook." 

"  Mr.  Randall  will  not  be  satisfied  till  he  gets  his 
money,  and  you  Avill  certainly  be  found  out." 

"  Xo,  I  shall  not  be  found  out.  I'll  go  to  Xcw 
York  and  change  off  the  money  this  very  night." 

"  But  only  think  of  it,  father.  You  will  be  a 
thief.  You  never  will  have  a  moment's  peace  as 
long  as  you  live." 

"  I  never  did  have,  and  I  shall  not  be  any  worse 
off,"  said  Mr.  "Wilford,  coldly.  "  There  comes  your 
steamer.  She  hasn't  got  any  pilot  on  board ;  I 
know  by  the  way  she  steers.  You  had  better  .go 
and  see  to  her,  for  she  is  running  right  for  the 
Goblins." 

Lawry  glanced  at  the  "Woodville,  as  she  appeared 
rounding  a  point,  two  miles  distant. 

"  If  you  will  go  and  find  Mr.  Randall,  I  will  give 
you  the  pocketbook,  father,"  replied  Lawry. 

"  Well,  I  guess  you  are  right,  Lawry,  and  I'll 
do  it." 

"  He  has  gone  up  to  the  village,"  added  Lawry, 
as  he  handed  the  money  to  his  father. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT  ,  OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.        63 


CHAPTER     V. 

HASTE    AND    WASTE. 

LAWRY,  satisfied  that  his  father  had"  come  to  his 
senses,  and  would  restore  the  pocketbook  to  Mr. 
Randall,  hastened  into  the  boat,  and  pulled  towards 
the  Woodville.  lie  was  afraid  Mr.  Sherwood  had 
been  too  venturesome  in  attempting  to  pilot  the  little 
steamer  in  waters  with  which  he  was  entirely  un 
familiar  ;  but  he  hoped  for  the  best,  and  rowed  as 
hard  as  he  could,  in  order  to  give  him  timely  warn 
ing  of  the  perils  which  lay  in  the  path  of  the  beau 
tiful  craft. 

About  half  a  mile  above  the  landing  at  Port  Rock 
there  was  a  dangerous  ledge,  called  the  Goblins, 
some  of  whose  sharp  points  were  within  a  foot  of 
the  surface  of  the  water  when  the  lake  was  low. 
•They  were  some  distance  from  the  usual  track  of 
steamers,  and  there  was  no  buoy,  or  other  mark, 


64  •     HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

on  them.  The  Woodville  was  headed  towards  the 
rocks,  as  the  ferryman  had  said,  and  it  was  impossi 
ble  for  Lawry  to  get  within  hailing  distance  of  her 
before  she  reached  them.  He  pulled  with  all  his 
strength,  and  had  hoped  to  overhaul  her  in  season 
to  avert  a  catastrophe. 

Occasionally,  as  he  rowed,  he  looked  behind  him 
to  observe  the  course  of  the  steamer.  She  was  al 
most  up  to  the  Goblins,  while  he  was  too  far  off 
to  make  himself  heard  in  her  wheel-house.  He  was 
appalled  at  her  danger,  and  the  cold  sweat  stood 
on  his  brow,  as  he  saw  her  hastening  to  certain 
destruction.  He  could  no  longer  hope  to  reach 
her,  and  he  ceased  rowing. 

Standing  up  in  his  boat,  he  waved  his  hat,  and 
made  other  signs  to  warn  the  imprudent  pilot  of 
his  danger.  With  one  of  the  oars  he  tried  to  sig 
nify  to  him  that  he  must  keep  off;  but  no  notice 
Avas  taken  of  his  warning.  On  the  forward  deck 
of  the  little  craft  stood  three  ladies,  who,  taking 
the  boatman's  energetic  gestures  for  friendly  saluta 
tions,  were  waving  their  handkerchiefs  to  him. 

"  Hard   a-port   your   helm  !  "    shouted    Lawry,  at 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        65 

the  top  of  his  lungs,  while  he  continued  to  wave 
his  hand. 

Mr.  Sherwood  sounded  the  whistle,  evidently  tak 
ing  the  shout  as  a  cheer  of  congratulation  at  his 
safe  arrival. 

"  Keep  off !  "  roared  Lawry,  using  his  hands  as 
a  speaking-trumpet. 

Again  ^the  whistle  sounded,  and  the  ladies  waved 
their  handkerchiefs  more  vigorously  than-  before. 
The  young  pilot  was  in  despair.  The  Woodville 
was  going  at  full  speed  directly  upon  the  rocks, 
whose  sharp  points  would  grind  her  to  powder  if 
she  struck  upon  them. 

"  Hard  a-port !  "  repeated  Lawry,  desperately. 

Once  more  the  supposed  cheer  was  answered  by 
the  whistle  and  the  waving  of  the  ladies'  handker 
chiefs,  and  still  the  fairy  craft  dashed  on  towards 
the  rocks. 

"  By  gracious  !  she's  on  them,  as  sure  as  the 
world !  "  exclaimed  Lawry  to  himself,  hardly  able 
to  breathe,  in  the  intensity  of  his  excitement. 

He  had  hardly  uttered  the  words  before  he  heard 
the  crash  which  announced  the  doom  of  the  Wood- 
6* 


66  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

ville.  Her  sharp  bow  slid  up  on  the  ledge,  and 
she  suddenly  stopped  in  her  mad  flight. 

Lawry  bent  on  his  oars  again,  horrified  by  the 
accident.  He  pulled  as  he  had  never  pulled  before. 
A  moment  or  two  after  the  steamer  struck,  he  was 
startled  by  a  succession  of  shrill  shrieks  from  the 
ladies,  and  he  turned  to  see  what  had  happened. 
The  Woodville  had  filled,  rolled  off  the  rock, 
and  sunk  in  deep  water,  leaving  her  passengers 
floating  helplessly  on  the  lake.  The  upper  half 
of  her  smoke-stack  was  all  that  remained  in  sight 
of  the  beautiful  craft  which  three  minutes  before 
had  been  a  thing  of  beauty  on  the  waves. 

The  young  pilot  did  not  pause  an  iostant  to  con 
template  the  scene  of  destruction.  He  saw  only  the 
helpless  persons  struggling  for  life  in  the  water,  and 
he  renewed  his  labors  with  a  vigor  and  skill  which 
soon  brought  him  to  the  sufferers.  Mr.  Sherwood 
was  supporting  his  wife  ;  but  both  of  them  were 
nearly  exhausted.  Lawry  helped  Bertha  into  the 
boat,  and  told  her  husband  to  hold  on  at  the  rail. 

Ethan  French,  with  his  arm  around  the  waist  of 
Fanny  Jane,  was  holding  on  at  the  smoke-stack, 


THE    YOTTNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.        67 

where  also  the  fireman  of  the  boat  was  supporting 
himself. 

"  Where  is  Fanny  ? "  gasped  Mrs.  Sherwood,  as 
soon  as  she  had  been  assisted  into  the  boat. 

"  I'm  afraid  she  has  gone  down/'  replied  Ethan 
French.  "  I  saw  her  just  there  a  moment  since." 

"  I  see  her  !  "  said  Lawry,  as  he  dived  into  the 
lake. 

0 

Fanny,  exhausted  by  her  struggles,  had  sunk,  and 
Lawry,  with  a  strong  arm,  bore  her  to  the  surface 
again ;  but  she  was  too  large  and  heavy  for  him, 
and  he  could  not  support  her. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  boat,  Ethan  was  in  the 
act  of  transferring  his  helpless  burden  to  the  arms 
of  the  fireman,  that  he  might  go  to  the  assistance  of 
Miss  Fanny;  and,  as  soon  as  Lawry  appeared,  he 
swam  out  to  help  him.  With  the  aid  of  the  young 
engineer,  the  exhausted  lady  was  lifted  into  the  boat. 
Fanny  Jane  was  next  taken  in,  but  there  was  no 
room  for  any  more. 

Though  Miss  Fanny  was  in  a  worse  condition 
than  the  other  ladies,  she  still  had  her  senses ;  and 
none  of  the  party  were  in  danger.  Mr.  Sherwood, 


68  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

Ethan,  and  the  fireman  were  still  in  the  water,  hold 
ing  on  at  the  rail  of  the  boat.  Lawry  took  the 
oars  and  pulled  towards  the  ferry-landing. 

"  Thank  God,  we  are  all  safe  !  "  said  Mr.  Sher 
wood,  when  he  had  recovered  breath  enough  to 
speak. 

"  Some  of  us  must  have  been  drowned  if  Lawry 
had  not  come  to  our  assistance,"  added  Miss  Fanny. 
"  I  had  given  up,  and  was  sinking  to  the  bottom. 
My  senses  were  leaving  me,  when  I  felt  his  grasp 
on  my  arm." 

"  You  have  done  bravely,  Lawry,"  added  Bertha. 

But  the  party  did  not  feel  much  like  talking. 
They  were  all  grateful  to  God,  who  had,  through 
the  agency  of  the  young  pilot,  saved  them  from 
their  perilous  situation.  When  the  boat  reached 
the  landing-place,  the  ladies  were  conducted  to  the 
cottage  of  John  Wilford,  where  everything  was  done 
by  Mrs.  Wilford  to  promote  their  comfort.  Lawry 
hastened  up  to  Mr.  Sherwood's  house  to  procure 
the  carriage,  which  had  fortunately  just  returned 
from  Port  Henry,  and  the  party  were  soon  con 
veyed  to  their  home. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       69 

Dry  clothing  and  a  little  rest  soon  restored  Mr. 
Sherwood  and  the  ladies  to  their  wonted  spirits, 
and  all  of  them  wished  to  see  their  brave  deliv 
erer.  He  was  sent  for,  and  presented  himself  to 
the  ladies  in  the  drawing-room.  Lawry,  anxious  t<? 
learn  the  condition  of  the  ladies  after  their  cold  bath, 
and  their  terrible  fright,  had  followed  the  carriage 
up  to  the  house,  and  was  telling  the  coachman  the 
particulars  of  the  catastrophe  when  he  was  sum 
moned  to  the  presence  of  the  family. 

Never  was  a  young  man  more  earnestly  and  sin 
cerely  thanked  for  a  brave  and  noble  deed ;  and 
Mr.  Sherwood  hinted  that  something  more  substan 
tial  than  thanks  would  be  bestowed  upon  him. 

"  Thank  you,  sir  ;  I  don't  need  anything  more," 
replied  Lawry,  blushing.  "  What  will  be  done  with 
the  steamer  now  ? "  he  asked,  wishing  to  change 
the  topic  of  conversation. 

"  I  have  got  enough  of  her,"  said  Mr.  Sherwood, 
with  evident  disgust.  "  She  has  given  me  a  shoclf 
I  shall  never  forget." 

"  I  don't  think  it  was  the  fault  of  the  boat,  sir,'1 
suggested  Lawry.  "  I  did  all  I  could  to  have  yotf 
keep  off  the  rocks." 


70  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  We  all  thought  you  were  crazy,  you  shook  so 
in  your  boat." 

"  I  was  trying  to  warn  you  of  your  danger." 

"  Was  that  what  you  meant  ?  We  thought  you 
were  cheering  the  Woodville." 

"  I  saw  you  were  going  on  the  rocks,  and  I 
shouted  and  made  signs  for  you  to  keep  off." 

"  You  certainly  did  all  you  could  for  us,  both 
before  and  after  the  accident,"  added  Mr.  Sherwood. 
"  When  did  you  get  home,  Lawry  ?  " 

"  To-day  noon,  just  after  you  went  to  the  house 
for  me.  I  came  right  up  to  see  you  ;  but  I  found 
you  had  gone." 

"  Yes ;  I  was  so  impatient  to  got  that  little 
steamer  up  here,  that  I  couldn't  wait  any  longer." 

"  And  what  a  waste  your  haste  has  made ! "  laughed 
Mrs.  Sherwood.  "  There  is  our  fine  little  steamer 
at  the  bottom  of  the  lake." 

"  She  may  lie  there,  for  all  me,"  added  Mr.  Sher 
wood,  impatiently. 

"  I  should  not  dare  to  put  my  foot  on  board  of 
her  again,"  said  Miss  Fanny. 

"  Nor  I,"  chimed  in  Fanny  Jane. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       71 

"  She  isn't  to  blame,  Mr.  Sherwood,"  interposed 
Ethan  French.  "  She  worked  as  well  as  though 
she  had  been  alive." 

"  No  steamer  could  stand  such  a  thump  on  the 
Goblins,"  added  Lawry. 

"  I  don't  blame  the  boat,  of  course,"  replied  Mr. 
Sherwood  ;  "  but  this  adventure  has  cured  me  of  my 
love  for  steamboating.  I  don't  want  to  see  another 
one." 

"  Shall  you  let  the  Woodville  lie  there  ?  "  asked 
Lawry. 

"  She's  a  wreck  now,  stove  in  and  ruined." 

"  But  she  can  be  raised  and  repaired,  and  be  as 
good  as  ever,  or  nearly  so,"  continued  Lawry,  who 
could  not  bear  to  lose  the  bright  anticipations  held 
out  to  him  by  the  advent  of  the  fairy  craft. 

"  She  is  good  for  nothing  to  me  now.  I  will 
give  her  to  any  one  who  wants  her."' 

"  There  are  plenty  who  will  want  her,"  said 
Lawry. 

"  It  will  cost  them  a  fortune  to  raise  and  repair 
her  —  almost  as  much  as  she  is  worth,  if  she  is  to 
be  used  as  a  plaything.  But  I  have  come  to  the 


72  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

conclusion  that  she  is  a  dangerous  machine  for  me, 
and  I  don't  want  anything  more  to  do  with  her. 
I  came  very  near  drowning  my  wife  and  my  friends 
with  her ;  and  this  fills  me  with  disgust  for  the  boat 
and  for  myself." 

"  Just  now  you  spoke  of  a  reward  for  what  I  had 
the  good  luck  to  do  for  you,  Mr.  Sherwood,"  con 
tinued  Lawry,  timidly. 

"  I  did  ;  and  you  may  be  assured  I  shall  never 
forget  your  noble  conduct,"  replied  Mr.  Sherwood, 
warmly. 

"  If  you  are  going  to  give  the  "Woodville  away, 
sir, " 

"  Well,  what  ? "  asked  Mr.  Sherwood,  as  the 
young  pilot  paused. 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  ought  to  say  what  I  was 
going  to  say." 

"  Say  it,  Lawry,  say  it,"  added  Mr.  Sherwood, 
kindly. 

"  You  said  you  would  give  the  steamer  to  any  one 
who  wanted  her,"  continued  Lawry,  hesitating. 

"  And  you  want  her  ?  "  laughed  the  wealthy  gen 
tleman. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.        73 

"  Yes,  sir  ;   that  is  what  I  was  going  to   say." 

"  Then  she  is  yours,  Lawry ;  but  I  might  as  well 
give  you  the  fee  simple  of  a  farm  in  Ethiopia.  I 
don't  feel  as  though  I  had  given  you  anything, 
my  boy." 

"  Indeed  you  have,  sir !  I  feel  as  though  you 
had  made  my  fortune  for  me ;  and  I  am  very  mucb 
obliged  to  you,  sir." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  have  anything  to  thank  me 
for,  Lawry.  As  I  understand  it,  the  Woodville  lies 
on  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  with  her  bow  stove  in, 
and  her  hull  as  useless  as  though  the  parts  had  never 
been  put  together.  The  engine  and  the  iron  and 
brass  work  are  worth  a  good  deal  of  money,  I  know ; 
but  it  will  cost  all  they  will  bring  to  raise  them." 

"  I  don't  think  the  steamer  is  ruined,  sir.  I  hope 
you  are  not  giving  her  away  believing  that  she  is 
not  worth  anything,"  said  Lawry. 

"  I  don't  think  she  is  worth  much." 

"  I  think  she  stove  a  great  hole  in  her  bow,  anc> 
that  is  all  that  ails  her.  If  we  can  get  her  on  the 
ways,  she  can  be  made  as  good  as  ever  she  was  in 
a  week." 

7 


74  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Whatever  her  condition,  Lawry,  she  is  yours. 
I  will  give  you  a  bill  of  sale  of  her  at  once." 

Mr.  Sherwood  went  to  the  desk,  executed  the 
paper  in  due  form,  affixed  the  stamp,  and  gave 
the  document  to  the  young  pilot.  The  rich  man 
regarded  the  gift  as  a  very  inadequate  reward  for 
the  service  Lawry  had  rendered  in  saving  the  party 
from  drowning,  and  he  intended  to  do  much  more 
than  this  for  his  deliverer. 

"  I  can  hardly  help  weeping  when  I  think  of  the 
beautiful  little  steamer,"  said  Mrs.  Sherwood.  "  She 
was  a  pefect  little  fairy.  How  elated  we  were  as 
we  moved  up  the  lake  in  her  !  What  fine  times 
\ve  were  promising  ourselves  on  board  of  her !  Now 
the  dear  little  craft  lies  on  the  bottom  of  the  lake, 
broken  and  spoiled  !  " 

"  I  shouldn't  dare  to  put  my  foot  in  her  again," 
added  Miss  Fanny.  "  I  shudder  when  I  think  of 
her." 

"  I  shudder  when  I  think  of  you,  Fanny.  You 
were  sinking  when  Lawry  dived  doAvn  after  you," 
said  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  We  ought  all  to  be  grateful  to  God  for  his 
mercy  in  saving  us,"  added  Fanny  Jane. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       75 

"  I  trust  we  are  grateful  to  him ;  and  I  am  sure 
we  shall  never  forget  what  Lawry  has  done  to-day," 
responded  the  gentleman. 

"  Never  !  "  exclaimed  Fanny,  warmly. 

"  It  was  all  my  fault,"  continued  Mr.  Sherwood. 
"  I  am  ashamed  of  myself,  and  disgusted  with  the 
boat."  / 

"  The  boat  is  not  to  blame,  sir,"  said  Ethan 
French.  "  She  behaved  like  a  lady." 

"  I  know  she  is  not  to  blame.  It  was  my  silly 
impatience.  I  was  in  such  a  hurry  to  try  the 
steamer  that  I  could  not  wait  for  a  pilot.  Bertha, 
do  you  know  what  your  father  used  to  say  to  me 
when  I  was  a  clerk,  and  used  to  be  in  a  hurry  ? " 

"  I  don't  know ;  but  I  have  heard  him  say  that 
you  were  too  impatient  for  your  own  good." 

"  '  Haste  and  Waste'  was  his  maxim,  when  I  was 
not  disposed  to  wait  the  natural  development  of 
events.  By  neglecting  this  precept,  I  have  nearly 
sacrificed  the  lives  of  my  best  friends.  Lawry,  if 
you  are  going  to  be  a  steamboat  man,  let  me  give 
you  this  maxim  for  your  government  — '  Haste  and 
Waste.'  " 


76  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 


CHAPTER    VI. 
THE   SHERIFF'S   VISIT. 

LAWRY  put  the  bill  of  sale  of  the  Woodville  in 
his  pocket,  and  felt  like  a  steamboat  proprietor  ;  for 
the  fact  that  his  steamer  lay  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  did  not  seem  to  lessen  her  value.  She  was  in 
a  safe  place,  and  there  was  no  danger  of  her  "  blow 
ing  up  "  or  drifting  away  from  him.  The  haste  of 
Mr.  Sherwood  had  been  "  a  windfall  "  to  him,  though 
Lawry  would  not  willingly  have  purchased  the  steam 
er  at  the  peril  of  so  many  precious  lives.  He  was 
ready  to  accept  the  moral  and  prudential  deductions 
from  the  catastrophe,  and  really  believed  that  the 
rich  man's  maxim  was  a  safe  and  valuable  one. 

In  his  own  limited  experience,  Lawry  could  recall 
many  instances  where  haste  had  made  waste ;  but  the 
foolish  conduct  of  Mr.  Sherwood  in  attempting  to 
navigate  the  Woodville  in  waters  with  which  he  was 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OP    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       77 

totally  unacquainted,  was  the  most  impressive  ex 
ample  of  the  worth  of  the  proverb,  and  he  felt  that 
the  steamer,  in  his  own  possession,  would  always 
mean  "  haste  and  waste "  to  him. 

"  I  have  often  kcard  my  father  speak  of  the  folly 
of  unconsidered  action  and  blind  haste,"  said  Bertha. 
"  He  lost  a  valued  friend  in  the  steamship  Arctic, 
which  was  sunk,  and  hundreds  of  lives  sacrificed,  by 
running  at  full  speed  in  a  dense  fog.  In  her  case, 
haste  was  not  only  a  terrible  waste  of  property,  but 
of  life." 

"  That  will  be  worth  remembering,  Lawry,  when 
you  are  in  command  of  a  steamer,"  added  Mr.  Sher 
wood. 

"  I  don't  think  I  ever  shall  be  in  such  a  position," 
replied  Lawry,  modestly. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  never  will  be  on  board  of  the 
Woodville." 

"  I'm  pretty  sure  she  can  be  raised,  though  I 
may  not  have  the  means  to  do  it  myself,"  continued 
Lawry. 

"  You  shall  have  all  the  means  you  want,  my  boy," 
replied  Mr.  Sherwood,  as  the  young  pilot  rose  and 
7* 


78  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

moved  towards  the  door.  "  We  owe  you  a  debt  of 
gratitude  which  we  shall  never  be  able  to  pay,  and 
if  you  want  anything,  don't  fail  to  call  upon  me." 

"  If  you  need  any  help,  Lawry,  I'm  with  you,' 
said  Ethan  French. 

"  Thank  you ;  I  dare  say  I  shall  want  all  the  help 
I  can  get,"  answered  Lawry,  as  he  took  his  leave  of 
the  family. 

"  I'm  the  owner  of  a  steamboat ! "  exclaimed  he, 
when  he  had  passed  through  the  front  gate,  and  was 
out  of  the  hearing  of  the  inmates  of  the  mansion. 
"  I'm  a  lucky  fellow,  and  I  shall  make  my  fortune  in 
the  Woodville.  I  can  take  out  parties,  or  I  can  run 
her  on  a  day  route  from  Burlington  up  the  lake  ;  and 
there  is  towing  enough  to  keep  me  busy  all  summer." 

The  young  steamboat  proprietor  rubbed  his  hands 
with  delight,  as  he  thought  of  himself  standing  in 
the  wheel-house  of  the  Woodville,  steering  the  little 
fairy  craft  up  and  down  the  bright  waters  of  the  lake. 
What  a  joy  it  would  be  to  walk  her  deck  as  owner 
and  commander  !  He  quickened  his  pace  almost  to 
a  run  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  hardly  dis 
turbed  by  the  thought  that  the  waves  of  the  lake 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.         79 

were  rolling  over  his  valuable  property  in  steamboats. 
He  had  never  seen  a  sunken  vessel  raised,  but  he  had 
often  heard  of  its  being  done,  and  he  had  no  doubt 
of  the  practicability  of  lifting  the  Woodville  from 
her  resting-place  on  the  rocks.  He  did  not  know 
how  it  was  to  be  done,  but  he  had  full  faith  that 
the  work  co'uld  be  accomplished. 

Excited  by  the  brightest  visions  of  the  future,  he 
came  in  sight  of  his  father's  cottage.  It  looked 
poorer  and  meaner  than  it  had  ever  looked  before  ; 
and  perhaps  he  thought  it  was  hardly  a  fit  abode 
for  a  steamboat  proprietor.  When  he  saw  the  tall 
mast  of  the  ferry-boat,  with  the  sail  flapping  idly 
in  the  wind,  he  was  reminded  of  the  events  which 
had  occurred  on  board  of  her  that  afternoon.  It 
was  mortifying  to  think  that  his  father  had  even 
been  tempted  to  steal ;  but  he  was  rejoiced  to  know 
that  he  had  been  induced  to  return  the  six  thousand 
dollars  to  the  owner. 

Lawry  had  not  seen  his  father  since  he  left  the 
landing-place  to  board  the  Woodville.  He  was  not 
at  the  house  when  the  party  landed,  after  the  catas 
trophe,  and  Lawry  was  glad  he  'was  not  there,  for 


80  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

his  absence  assured  the  anxious  son  that  he  had 
gone  in  search  of  Mr.  Randall.  Amid  the  exciting 
events  which  had  followed  the  painful  discovery  that 
his  father  intended  to  steal  the  six  thousand  dollars, 
the  young  pilot  had  not  thought  of  the  matter,  for 
his  mind  was  entirely  relieved  by  Mr.  Wilford's 
promise  to  give  up  the  money. 

Lawry  went  into  the  house  ;  his  father  had  not 
yet  returned,  and  his  mother  asked  him  a  hundred 
questions  about  the  steamboat  disaster,  as  she  set 
the  table  for  supper.  When  the  meal  was  ready, 
Mrs.  Wilford  went  to  the  door  and  blew  a  tin  horn, 
which  was  intended  to  summon  the  ferryman  to 
his  tea. 

"  I  think  father  has  not  got  back  yet,"  said  Lawry, 
as  his  mother  returned  to  the  kitchen. 

"  Where  has  he  gone  ?  " 

"  Up  to  the  village,  I  believe,"  replied  Lawry, 
who  had  determined  not  to  tell  his  mother  of  the 
great  temptation  to  which  his  father  had  almost 
yielded. 

"What  has  he  gone  up  there  for?"  inquired 
Mrs.  Wilford,  who  ^perhaps  saw  in  the  anxious  looks 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        81 

of  her  son  that  something  had  been  concealed  from 
her. 

"  He  had  a  little  business  up  there,"  answered 
the  young  pilot.  "  I  think  we  had  better  not  wait 
for  him,  for  he  may  not  be  back  for  some  time.  I 
haven't  shown  you  this  paper,  mother,"  he  continued, 
wishing  to  draw  off  her  attention  from  his  father, 
as  he  handed  her  the  bill  of  sale  of  the  "Woodville, 
and  seated  himself  at  the  table. 

"What  is  it,  Lawry?" 

"  It  is  a  bill  of  sale  of  the  little  steamer." 

"  A  what  ? "  demanded  Mrs.  Wilford,  as  she  paused 
with  the  teapot  suspended  over  a  cup. 

"  A  bill  of  sale  of  the  new  steamer  ?  " 

"  What,  the  one  that  was  sunk  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  Mr.  Sherwood  has  given  her  to  me,  just 
as  she  lies." 

"  Humph  !  He  might  as  well  have  given  you  a 
five-acre  lot  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  What  in 
the  world  can  you  do  with  a  steamboat  smashed  to 
pieces  and  sunk  ? " 

"  I  can  raise  her." 

"  You  may  as  well  think  of  raising  the  Goblins 
on  which  she  sank." 


82  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  She  can  be  raised,  mother." 

"  Perhaps  she  can,  but  you  can't  raise  her." 

"  I  shall  try,  at  any  rate,"  replied  Lawry,  con 
fidently. 

The  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival 
of  the  ferryman.  The  son  cast  an  anxious  glance  at 
his  father,  as  the  latter  took  his  accustomed  place 
at  the  table.  A  forced  smile  played  about  the  lip 
of  Mr.  Wilford ;  but  Lawry  interpreted  it  as  an 
effort  to  overcome  the  sense  of  humiliation  his  father 
must  feel  at  having  his  dishonest  intentions  discov 
ered  by  his  son. 

"  Well,  Lawry,  I  found  him,"  said  Mr.  Wilford, 
as  he  took  the  cup  of  tea  handed  to  him  by  his  wife. 

"  Did  you  ?  I'm  very  glad  you  did,"  replied  the 
son. 

"  Who  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Wilford,  unwilling  that  any 
unintelligible  conversation  should  be  carried  on  in 
her  presence. 

"  The  bank  man  —  the  one  that  lost  the  money,'' 
replied  the  ferryman. 

"  What  did  you  want  of  him  ?  " 

"  We  found  his  money  after  he  had  gone." 


THE    YOUKO    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        83 

"  Did  you  ?  I'm  so  glad  !  And  neither  of  you 
said  a  word  to  me  about  it." 

"  I  gave  it  back  to  him,  and  it's  all  right  now." 

Unhappily,  it  was  not  all  right ;  and  the  ferryman 
had  scarcely  uttered  the  words  before  a  knock  was 
heard  at  the  door.  Without  awaiting  the  movements 
of  Mrs.  Wilford,  who  rose  from  the  table  to  open 
the  door,  the  visitors  entered.  Mr.  Wilford  turned 
deadly  pale,  for  the  first  person  that  passed  the 
threshold  was  the  sheriff,  whose  face  was  familiar 
to  the  ferryman.  He  was  followed  by  Mr.  Randall 
and  a  constable. 

Lawry's  heart  sank  within  him  when  he  saw  who 
the  visitors  were.  He  feared  that  his  father,  in 
spite  of  his  statement  to  the  contrary,  had  been  led 
to  appropriate  the  six  thousand  dollars.  It  was  a 
moment  of  agony  to  him,  and  he  would  have  given 
his  right,  title,  and  interest  in  the  sunken  steamer  for 
the  assurance  that  his  parent  was  an  honest  man. 

"  I  come  on  rather  unpleasant  business,  Mr.  Wil 
ford,"  the  sheriff  began ;  "  but  I  suppose  I  may  as 
well  speak  out  first  as  last." 

"  Goodness  !   what  can  you  want  here  !  "  exclaimed 


84  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OB 

Mrs.  Wilford,  to  whom  the  pale  face  and  quivering 
lip  of  her  husband  were  the  most  appalling  signs  in 
connection  with  the  official  character  of  the  foremost 
of  the  intruders. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,  Mrs.  Wilford,"  said  the  sheriff. 
"  It  may  be  all  right,  for  what  I  know.  Mr.  Randall, 
here,  has  lost  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  he  thinks 
he  has  been  robbed.  I'm  sure  I  hope  it's  all  right." 

"  Why,  husband  ! "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Wilford  ; 
"  didn't  you  just  say " 

"  I  didn't  say  anything,"  interposed  the  ferryman, 
sharply,  and  at  the  same  time  he  made  signs  for  his 
wife  to  be  silent. 

Lawry  was  quite  as  pale  as  his  father.  He  would 
rather  have  been  accused  of  the  crime  himself  than 
had  it  charged  upon  his  father ;  he  would  rather 
have  gone  to  prison  himself  than  had  him  dragged 
away  on  such  an  infamous  accusation.  The  sheriff's 
encouraging  words  that  it  might  be  all  right,  had  no 
force  or  comfort  for  him.  Lawry  knew  that  his 
father  was  guilty,  and  he  was  in  despair. 

Mrs.  Wilford  had  only  heard  that  the  money  was 
lost,  at  first ;  and  then,  from  her  husband,  that  it 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.         85 

had  been  found  and  restored  to  the  owner.  It  was 
plain  that  he  had  told  her  a  falsehood  ;  that  if  he 
had  found  the  money,  it  was  still  in  his  possession. 
The  case  was  too  plain  to  need  much  reflection.  Mr. 
Randall  and  the  sheriff  knew  less  than  the  ferryman, 
less  than  his  wife  and  his  son  ;  but  in  the  good  wo 
man's  estimation,  it  was  far  worse  to  be  guilty  than 
it  was  to  be  detected. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  fathom  the  motives  which 
induced  John  Wilford  to  tell  his  wife  and  son  that 
the  money  had  been  restored  to  the  owner.  Perhaps 
he  had  some  plan  by  which  he  hoped  to  escape  de 
tection  and  punishment  for  his  crime ;  or  it  may  be 
that  he  told  the  falsehood  to  satisfy  Lawry  for  the 
present  moment.  His  calculations,  whatever  they 
may  have  been,  were  exceedingly  stupid  and  ill- 
digested.  There  was  an  utter  want  of  skill  and 
judgment  in  his  operations.  He  was  not  a  strong- 
minded  man,  and  his  guilt  seemed  to  have  paralyzed 
•his  weak  faculties.  His  failure  to  be  rich  in  the 
path  of  dishonesty  was  even  more  signal  than  his 
honest  but  weak  efforts  in  a  legitimate  business. 

"  What  did  he  just  say  ?"  asked  the  sheriff,  whose 


86  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

attention  was  attracted  by  Mrs.  Wilford's  words,  but 
more  by  the  sharp  manner  of  her  husband  as  he  in 
terrupted  her,  and  prevented  her  from  uttering  the 
remark  she  was  about  to  make. 

"  What  is  your  business  with  me  ? "  demanded 
the  ferryman  of  the  sheriff,  earnestly,  fearful  that  his 
wife  would  finish  what  she  had  begun  to  say. 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  "  repeated  the  sheriff. 

"  If  my  husband  has  been  doing  anything  wrong, 
I'm  sorry  for  it,"  replied  Mrs.  Wilford,  unwilling  to 
expose  the  culprit,  guilty  as  she  felt  that  he  was. 

"  Mr.  Randall  thinks  he  has  taken  his  money," 
added  the  sheriff.  "  If  you  can  tell  me  what  your 
husband  just  said,  it  might  throw  some  light  on  the 
matter." 

"  O,  husband  !  "  cried  the  poor  wife,  throwing  her 
self  into  a  chair  and  weeping  bitterly. 

"  Mr.  Randall  knows  I  haven't  taken  his  money," 
protested  the  ferryman,  stoutly. 

"  Don't  cry,  marm,"  said  the  sheriff,  moved  by 
the  distress  of  the  afflicted  wife.  "  Nothing  has 
been  proved  yet,  and  for  all  I  know,  your  husband 
may  be  as  honest  as  any  man  in  Essex  County." 


THE    YOUNG    PILO*T    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        87 

"  I've  always  been  an  honest  man,  and  I  always 
expect  to  be,"  added  the  culprit.  "  I  haven't  got 
the  money.  If  any  of  you  think  I  have,  why  don't 
you  do  something  about  it  —  not  try  to  frighten  my 
wife  ?  " 

Mr.  Wilford  was  searched  by  the  sheriff  and  con 
stable,  but  the  money  was  not  upon  his  person.  The 
house  was  then  carefully  examined,  but  with  no  dif 
ferent  result. 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  this  business, 
Lawry  ? "  said  the  sheriff,  when  the  search  was 
completed. 

"  I  don't  think  he  had  anything  to  do  with  it," 
interposed  Mr.  Randall.  "  The  boy  helped  me  look 
for  the  pocketbook,  and  behaved  very  handsomely; 
but  I  didn't  like  the  looks  of  his  father." 

"  What  did  your  father  say  just  before  we  came  ?  " 
asked  the  sheriff. 

Lawry  was  stupefied  with  grief  and  shame.  He 
knew  not  what  to  say,  and  he  dropped  his  head  upon 
the  table,  and  sobbed  like  a  little  child. 

"  Things  look  bad,  Mr.  Wilford.  Your  wife  and 
Lawry  know  more  than  they  are  willing  to  tell," 
continued  the  officer. 


88  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  You  have  scared  them  half  out  of  their  wits," 
replied  the  ferryman,  trying  to  smile. 

"  It  isn't  likely  we  can  find  out  anything  here," 
said  the  constable.  "If  he  has  got  the  money,  he 
has  hid  it  round  the  house  somewhere." 

Adopting  this  suggestion,  the  officers,  followed  by 
Mr.  Randall,  left  the  cottage  to  examine  the  vicinity. 
The  constable  was  a  shrewd  man,  and  for  a  country 
locality,  quite  distinguished  as  a  thief-taker.  The 
shower  early  in  the  afternoon  had  left  the  ground  in 
condition  to  receive  the  tracks  of  every  individual 
who  had  been  near  the  ferry.  The  sharp  officer,  ex 
amined  all  the  marks  in  the  earth,  and  finally  fol 
lowed  the  footsteps  of  John  Wilford,  through  a  corn 
field,  above  th$  cottage. 

Mrs.  Wilford  and  Lawry  wept  as  though  their 
hearts  would  break,  while  the  ferryman,  trembling 
with  apprehension,  paced  the  kitchen. 

"  What  are  you  crying  for  ?"  said  he,  impatiently, 
as  he  paused  before  his  wife. 

"  O,  John  !  "  sobbed  his  wife. 

"  Nothing  has  been  proved." 

"  Yes,  there  has.  You  told  me  you  had  given  the 
money  to  Mr.  Randall." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.         89 

"  You  told  me  you  would  restore  it  to  the  owner, 
when  I  gave  you  the  pocketbook,"  added  Lawry, 
choking  with  grief. 

"  Lawry,  if  you  say  a  word  about  it,  you  shall  go 
to  jail   with  me,"  said   Mr.  Wilford,  angrily,  as  he 
put  on  his  hat  and  left  the  house. 
8* 


90  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OE 


CHAPTER     VII. 
THE  FERRYMAN'S  CRIME. 

ME.  "WILFORD,  in  spite  of  his  faults  and  pecul 
iarities,  was  a  kind  father,  and  never  before  had 
been  heard  to  utter  such  terrible  words  as  those 
which  had  just  passed  his  lips.  It  was  a  consola 
tion  to  Lawry  and  his  mother  to  believe  that  the 
words  were  only  a  threat  which  was  never  intended 
to  be  executed,  and  only  made  to  awe  the  youth 
into  silence.  It  was  needless  ;  for,  right  or  wrong, 
the  son  would  have  died  rather  than  betray  his 
father. 

John  Wilford's  operations  in  hiding  the  money 
were  as  transparent  as  his  efforts  to  quiet  the  sus 
picions  of  his  family.  The  constable  followed  his 
tracks  in  the  soft  ground  of  the  cornfield  till  he 
came  to  a  stump  in  one  corner  of  the  lot.  It  was 
decayed  and  hollow,  and  in  one  of  the  cavities  the 


THE    YOUNG     PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       91 

pocketbook  was  discovered.  Mr.  Randall  laughed 
for  joy  when  it  was  handed  to  him.  Its  contents 
were  undisturbed,  and  not  a  dollar  of  the  money 
was  missing.  The  party  walked  back  to  the  house, 
having  been  absent  less  than  half  an  hour.  The 
ferryman  was  just  coming  out  as  they  entered  the 
gate. 

"  I  hope  you  are  satisfied,"  said  he,  confident  that 
the  officers  would  never  think  of  crossing  the  corn 
field  in  search  of  the  lost  treasure. 

"  I'm  satisfied,  Mr.  Wilford,"   said  the  sheriff. 

"  Don't  you  think  it  is  a  mean  thing  to  come 
here  and  accuse  me  of  robbing  one  of  my  passen 
gers  ? "  continued  the  ferryman,  still  satisfied  that 
he  was  safe  if  his  wife  and  Lawry  only  kept  still. 

"  I  don't  think  so." 

"  In  my  opinion,  Mr.  Randall  hasn't  lost  any 
money.  I  don't  believe  a  man  would  throw  his  coat 
down  anywhere  if  there  was  six  thousand  dollars  in 
the  pocket." 

"  But  the  money  was  lost,  whether  you  believe  it 
or  not,"  interposed  the  bank  director,  irritated  by 
this  charge. 


92  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

"  I've  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  men  losing  money 
to  cheat  their  creditors,  or  something  of  that  sort,"1 
added  the  ferryman. 

"  Don't  talk  so,  husband,"  said  Mrs.  Wilford, 
who,  with  Lawry,  had  come  out  of  the  house  when 
they  heard  the  voice  of  the  sheriff,  anxious  to  learn 
the  result  of  the  search. 

"  Don't  you  think  that's  mean,  to  accuse  a  man 
of  cheating  his  creditors,  after  you  have  stolen  his 
money  ?  "  retorted  Mr.  Randall. 

"  What  right  have  you  to  say  I  stole  your  money?  " 
demanded  Mr.  Wilford,  with  a  show  of  intense  indig 
nation. 

"  Because  you  did." 

"  Can  you  prove  it  ?  " 

"  I  think  we  can." 

"  No,  you  can't.  I  don't  helieve  you  lost  any 
money.  It's  only  a  trick  to  cheat  the  bank  or  your 
creditors." 

"  We  shall  see." 

"  Don't  talk  so,  husband,"  repeated  Mrs.  Wilford, 
whose  honest  heart  revolted  at  the  base  insinuations 
of  the  ferryman. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF     LAKE    CHAMPLAIIT.       93 

"  Keep  still,  wife.  When  a  man  hasn't  done  any 
thing,  it's  hard  to  be  charged  with  stealing  six 
thousand  dollars.  They  can't  prove  anything." 

"  Yes,  we  can,  Mr.  Wilford,"  interposed  the  sheriff; 
"  It  becomes  my  duty  to  arrest  you,  though  I  would 
rather  have  done  it  when  your  family  were  not 
present." 

"  Arrest  me  !  What  for  ?  "  exclaimed  John  Wilford. 
"  You  can't  prove  anything." 

"  Yes,  we  can,"  replied  the  sheriff,  shaking  his 
head,  sadly ;  for  he  was  really  performing  an  un 
pleasant  duty. 

"  What  can  you  prove  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  would  be  better  for  you  not  to  talk 
so  much,"  added  the  sheriff,  in  a  low  tone.  "  Come 
with  me,  and  I  will  do  my  duty  as  quietly  as  pos 
sible." 

"  Come  with  you  !  What  for  ? "  said  Mr.  Wilford, 
in'  a  loud  tone.  "  I  didn't  steal  the  money." 

"It's  a  plain  case.  It's  no  use  for  you  to  deny 
it  any  longer." 

"  But  I  didn't." 

"We  have  found  the  money,  just  where  you  put  it." 


94  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OB 

"  Found  —  what !  "  stammered  the  guilty  man. 

"  O,  husband  !  "  groaned  Mrs.  Wilford. 

"  O,  father  !  "  sobbed  Lawry. 

"  I'm  sorry,  Mrs.  Wilford,"  said  the  kind-hearted 
officer;  "but  it's  all  as  plain  as  daylight.  He  took, 
the  money  and  hid  it  in  a  stump  in  the  cornfield, 
where  we  found  it." 

"  What  shall  we  do  ? "  cried  Mrs.  Wilford,  as  she 
threw  her  arm  around  Lawry' s  neck,  in  the  agony 
of  her  grief. 

"  It's  bad  business,  marm,  but  I  can't  help  it.  I 
must  do  my  duty." 

Mr.  Wilford  leaned  on  the  garden  fence,  with  his 
gaze  fixed  upon  the  ground.  He  could  not  look  the 
loved  ones  in  the  face,  after  the  crime  he  had  com 
mitted.  The  smaller  children,  who  had  been  at  play 
around  the  house,  were  now  gathered  about  the 
group,  unable  fully  to  comprehend  the  terrible  mis 
fortune  which  had  befallen  them  ;  though,  as  they 
gazed  on  Lawry  and  their  mother,  they  could  not 
help  realizing  that  something  very  sad  had  hap 
pened. 

"  I'm  ready  to  go  with  you,"  said  John  Wilford 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       95 

to  the  sheriff,  for  the  scene  was  so  affecting  and  so 
humiliating  to  him  that  he  wished  to  end  it. 

"  O,  husband,  why  did  you  do  it?"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Wilford,  as  she  grasped  one  of  his  arms,  cling 
ing  to  him  like  a  true  woman,  in  spite  of  his  shame 
and  infamy. 

"  I  don't  know  why  I  did  it.  I  was  crazy.  I 
wanted  to  be  rich,"  replied  the  unhappy  man. 

"  I  wish  you  had  given  back  the  money,  as  you 
said  you  did." 

"  I  wish  I  had  now." 

"  Can  nothing  be  done  ?  "  continued  Mrs.  Wilford, 
appealing  to  the  sheriff.  "Must  he  go  with  you?" 

"  He  must ;   my  duty  is   as  plain   as  it  can  be." 

The  poor  woman  suggested  various  expedients  to 
avoid  the  fearful  consequences ;  she  appealed  to  the 
bank  director,  and  begged  him  not  to  prosecute  her 
husband.  Mr.  Randall,  though  he  had  been  greatly 
irritated  by  the  cruel  insinuations  of  the  culprit,  was 
not  a  malignant  man  ;  and  he  was  disposed  to  grant 
the  petition  of  the  disconsolate  wife.  He  had  re 
covered  his  money,  and  had  no  malice  against  the 
ferryman.  But  the  sheriff  declared  that  no  such 


96  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OB 

arrangement  could  be  tolerated.  The  matter  had 
been  placed  in  his  hands,  and,  as  a  sworn  officer  of 
the  law,  he  should  be  obliged  to  arrest  the  offender. 

In  vain  Mrs.  Wilford  pleaded  for  her  husband ; 
in  vain  Lawry  pleaded  for  his  father  ;  the  sheriff, 
kind  and  considerate  as  he  had  shown  himself  to 
be,  was  inexorable  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty. 
There  was  no  alternative  ;  and  John  Wilford  must 
go  to  jail.  The  poor  wife,  when  she  found  that  her 
tears  and  her  pleadings  were  unavailing,  submitted 
to  the  stern  necessity.  She  insisted  that  her  hus 
band  should  be  allowed  to  change  his  dress,  which 
the  sheriff  readily  granted ;  and  in  a  short  time  the 
culprit  appeared  in  his  best  clothes.  It  was  a  sad 
parting  between  him  and  his  family,  and  even  the 
ferryman  wept  as  he  passed  out  from  beneath  his 
humble  roof,  not  again  to  come  beneath  its  friendly 
shelter  for  many,  many  weary  months. 

Mrs.  Wilford  and  Lawry  were  stunned  by  the 
heavy  blow.  The  light  of  earthly  joys  seemed  sud 
denly  to  have  gone  out,  and  left  them  in  the  gloom 
and  woe  of  disgrace  and  desolation.  Mother  and 
son  wept  long  and  bitterly.  There  was  nothing  to 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAIVIPLAIY.         97 

be  said  at  such  a  time,  and  they  sobbed  ia  silence, 
until  the  sound  of  the  ferry  horn  roused  Lawry  from 
his  lethargy  of  grief.  Some  one  wished  to  cross  the 
lake,  and  had  given  the  usual  signal  with  the  tin 
horn,  placed  on  a  post  for  the  purpose,  at  the  side  of 
the  road. 

"  There  is  no  ferryman  here  now,"  said  Mrs.  Wil- 
ford,  gloomily. 

"  I  will  go,  mother,"  replied  Lawry,  as  he  rose 
and  put  on  his  cap. 

"  It  may  be  many  a  day  before  your  father  comes 
back,"  added  Mrs.  Wilford,  as  she  wiped  away  her 
tears.  "  It  is  a  great  deal  worse  than  a  funeral." 

"  We  can't  help  it,  mother,  and  I  suppose  we  must 
make  the  best  of  it." 

"  I  suppose  we  must ;  but  I  don't  know  what  we 
are  going  to  do." 

"  We  shall  do  well  enough,  mother.  I  will  attend 
to  the  ferry  ;  but  poor  father " 

Lawry,  finding  he  could  not  speak  without  a  fresh 

flow   of    tears,    hastened    out  of    the  house.      There 

were  two  wagons  waiting  for  him ;    and   when  they 

were    embarked    in    the    boat,  he    p. .shed    p.F,    and 

9 


98  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

trimmed  the  sail  for  the  gentle  breeze  that  was 
blowing  up  the  lake.  The  passengers  asked  for  his 
father  ;  but  Lawry  could  .only  tell  them  that  he  had 
gone  away  :  the  truth  was  too  painful  for  him  to 
reveal.  He  returned  to  his  desolate  home  when  he 
had  ferried  the  wagons  over  the  lake.  There  was 
nothing  but  misery  in  that  humble  abode,  and  but 
little  sleep  for  those  who  were  old  enough  to  com 
prehend  the  sadness  and  shame  of  their  situation. 

Before  morning  the  news  of  John  Wilford's  crime 
had  been  circulated  through  the  village  of  Port 
Rock  and  its  vicinity.  Some  knew  that  the  ferry 
man  was  lazy  and  thriftless,  and  wondered  he  had 
not  robbed  somebody  before.  Others  had  always  re 
garded  him  as  a  person  of  no  sagacity  or  forethought, 
but  did  not  think  he  would  steal.  Many  pitied  his 
family,  and  some  said  that  Lawry  was  "  as  smart  as 
two  of  his  father,"  and  that  his  mother  and  the 
children  would  be  well  provided  for. 

The  intelligence  went  to  the  mansion  of  Mr.  Sher 
wood,  and  there  it  touched  the  hearts  of  true  friends. 
Though  none  of  them  knew  much  about  the  ferry 
man  and  his  family,  yet  for  Lawry' s  sake  they  were 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT     OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       99 

deeply  interested  in  them.  After  breakfast  Mr. 
Sherwood  went  down  to  the  ferry-house;  and  the 
young  pilot,  with  many  tears  and  sobs,  told  him 
the  whole  of  the  sad  story  of  his  father's  crime. 
The  rich  man  was  full,  of  sympathy,  but  nothing 
could  be  done.  He  volunteered  to  be  the  culprit's 
bail,  and  to  provide  him  with  the  best  counsel  in 
the  state.  But. John  Wilford  was  guilty,  and  noth 
ing  could  wipe  out  this  terrible  truth. 

Mr.  Sherwood  did  all  he  had  promised  to  do ;  but 
the  ferryman,  after  he  had  been  examined  and  fully 
committed  for  trial,  declined  to  furnish  bail,  de 
claring  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  seen  at  Port 
Rock  again.  At  the  next  session  of  the  court,  two 
months  after  his  committal,  he  pleaded  guilty  of  the 
robbery,  —  as  he  had  declared  beforehand  that  he 
should  do,  —  and  was  sentenced  to  three  years'  im 
prisonment  in  the  penitentiary  at  Sing  Sing.  His 
counsel,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Sherwood,  proved 
the  prisoner's  good  character,  when  the  motion  for 
sentence  was  made,  and  the  judge  had  made  his  term 
three  years,  instead  of  five,  as  he  had  originally  in 
tended.  This  was  all  the  culprit's  friends  could  do 
for  him. 


100  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

After  the  sentence  the  prisoner  was  permitted  to 
see  his  family  for  the  last  time  for  many  months. 
It  was  a  sad  and  touching  interview  ;  but  from  it 
Lawry  and  his  mother  derived  much  consolation. 
John  Wilford  was  penitent  ;  he  was  truly  sorry  for 
what  he  had  done,  and  declared  that,  when  he  had 
served  out  his  time,  he  would  be  a  better  man  than 
he  had  ever  been  before.  It  was  comforting  to  the 
mother  and  son  to  know  that  the  wanderer  was  not 
hardened  and  debased  by  his  crime  and  the  exposure ; 
and  they  returned  to  their  home  submissive  to  their 
lot,  sad  and  dreary  as  it  was. 

From  the  day  his  father  had  been  arrested,  Lawry 
felt  that  the  care  of  the  family  devolved  upon  him. 
His  older  brother  was  away  from  home,  and  was 
indolent  and  dissipated.  The  ferry  and  the  little 
farm  must  be  cared  for,  as  from  them  came  the  entire 
support  of  his  mother  and  his  brothers  and  sisters. 
Though  he  was  oppressed  by  the  burden  of  sorrow 
which  his  father's  crime  cast  upon  him,  he  did  not 
yield  to  despair. 

Half  a  mile  below  the  ferry  landing  lie  could  see 
the  smoke-stack  of  the  "Woodville,  projecting  above 


I 
THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     101 


the  water.  She  was  his  property ;  and  if  she  had 
seemed  to  be  a  prize  to  him  before  the  calamity  had 
fallen  upon  his  father's  household,  she  was  doubly 
so  now.  As  he  crossed  the  ferry,  he  gazed  up  at 
the  Goblins,  with  less  of  exultation,  but  more  of 
hope,  than  before.  In  his  opinion,  as  he  expressed 
it  to  his  mother,  there  was  "  money  in  her."  Mrs. 
Wilford  was  in  great  tribulation  lest  the  man  who 
now  held  the  mortgage  upon  the  little  farm  should 
insist  upon  being  paid,  as  there  was  now  no  hope 
that  the  debtor,  in  prison,  would  be  able  to  do  any 
thing.  Lawry  told  her  that  the  steamboat  would 
enable  them  to  pay  all  claims  upon  his  father. 

Mrs.  Wilford  had  but  little  confidence  in  her  son's 
schemes,  but  she  did  not  discourage  them ;  and 
Lawry  racked  his  brain  for  expedients  to  accom 
plish  the  task  he  had  imposed  upon  himself.  He 
had  no  money,  and  he  was  too  proud  to  ask  Mr. 
Sherwood  for  the  assistance  which  that  gentleman 
would  so  gladly  have  rendered.  Ethan  French  came 
down  to  see  him  every  day,  and  the  prairie  boy  was 
so  kind  and  considerate  that  they  soon  became  fa-"t 
friends. 

9* 


102  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OK 

"  When  are  you  going  to  work  on  the  steamer, 
Lawry  ? "  asked  Ethan,  two  or  three  days  after  the 
arrest  of  the  ferryman.  "  I  suppose  you  don't  feel 
much  like  meddling  with  her  yet." 

"  I  don't ;  but  she  ought  to  be  raised  as  soon  as 
possible,"  replied  Lawry.  "  I  am  going  to  work 
upon  her  right  off.  I  went  down  to  see  how  she  lies 
this  morning,  and  I  have  got  my  plans  all  laid." 

"  Have  you  ?" 

"  I  have." 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  get  her  up  ?  " 

"  I  know  I  can." 

"  Well,  how  are  you  going  to  do  it  ? "  inquired 
Ethan,  delighted  with  the  spirit  of  his  companion. 

"  Do  you  know  Mr.  Xelson,  over  at  Pointvillc  ?  I 
suppose  you  don't.  Well,  he  is  a  great  oil  man ;  he 
has  got  some  oil  wells  down  on  the  St.  Johns  River. 
He  is  getting  together  all  the  barrels  and  hogsheads 
he  can  find,  to  send  down  to  his  works.  He  has 
as  many  as  a  hundred  at  his  place  in  Pointville.  I'm 
going  to  borrow  a  lot  of  these  casks,  if  I  can,  and 
raise  the  Woodville  with  them." 

"  How  are  you  going  to  manage  with  them  ? " 
asked  Ethan,  deeply  interested  in  the  plan. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.      103 

"  Sink  them  round  the  boat,  and  fasten  them  to 
her  hull,  till  there  is  enough  to  float  her." 

"  But  how  are  you  going  to  sink  them  ?  " 

"  There's  some  one  to  go  over  the  ferry,"  replied 
Lawry,  as  a  blast  of  the  tin  horn  was  heard.  "  If 
you  will  go  over  with  me,  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it, 
and  we  will  call  and  see  Mr.  Nelson  while  we  are  at 
Pointville." 

Ethan  embarked  with  his  friend,  and  when  the 
boat  started  the  subject  was  resumed. 


104  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 


CHAPTER     VIII. 

RAISING      THE       WOODVILLE. 

ETHAN  FRENCH,  during  the  two  years  he  had 
been  a  resident  of  the  State  cf  New  York,  had  been 
an  earnest  and  diligent  student.  His  mind  was  even 
more  improved  than  his  manners.  His  taste  for 
mechanics  had  prompted  him  to  study  the  various 
subjects  included  in  this  science,  and  as  he  stood  by 
his  companion  the  pilot,  he  talked  quite  learnedly 
about  the  specific  gravity  of  wood  and  iron,  about 
displacement,  buoyancy,  and  similar  topics. 

"  The  hull  of  the  steamer  —  that  is,  the  wood 
work  —  will  not  only  float  itself,  but  it  will  sustain 
considerable  additional  weight,"  said  he. 

"  Yes,  I  understand  all  that,"  replied  Lawry.  "  If 
there  had  been  no  iron  in  the  Woodville  she  would 
nut  have  gone  down.  ' 

"  The  iron  in  her  engine  is  seven  or  eight  times  as 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     105 

heavy  as  the  same  bulk  of  water.     Its  weight  carried 
the  hull  down  with  it." 

"  Then  we  must  put  down  empty  casks  enough  to 
float  the  engine,''  added  Lawry. 

"  No ;  the  wood-work  of  the  hulk  will  hold  up  a 
portion  of  the  weight  of  the  engine,  .and  we  must 
furnish  buoyancy  enough  to  sustain  the  rest  of  it." 

"  It  will  not  take  a  great  many  casks,  then  — 
will  it?" 

"  Xot  a  great  many ;  but  the  difficulty  is  to  get 
them  down  to  the  bottom,  and  fasten  them  to  the 
hull." 

"  I  can  do  that,"  replied  Lawry,  confidently ; 
ani  he  proceeded  to  explain  to  his  interested  friend 
the  process  by  which  the  difficulty  was  to  be  over 
come. 

Ethan  approved  the  method,  and  promised  to  as 
certain  what  weight  each  of  the  casks  Avould  sustain 
in  the  water,  when  he  had  obtained  their  dimensions. 
The  ferry-boat  reached  the  other  side  of  the  lake,, 
and  the  young  men  went  to  see  Mr.  Xelson,  the 
owner  of  the  casks.  He  did  not  wish  to  use  the 
hogsheads  till  October,  and  was  willing  they  should 


106  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

be  employed  for  the  purpose  indicated,  if  Lawry 
would  give  him  security  for  their  safe  return. 

"  Mr.  Sherwood  will  do  that  for  you,  Lawry,"  said 
Ethan. 

"  That's  a  good  name,"  added  the  oil  speculator. 
"  If  he  will  guarantee  the  safe  return  of  the  casks, 
that  is  all  I  ask.  I  wonder  if  Mr.  Sherwood  don't 
want  some  shares  in  the  Meteor  Oil  Company." 

"  I  don't  know  ;  I'll  ask  him,"  replied  Ethan. 

"  If  you  will,  I  won't  charge  you  anything  for  the 
use  of  the  casks,"  added  Mr.  Nelson,  hopeful  that 
the  contract  might  improve  the  prospects  of  the 
Meteor  Company. 

Mr.  Sherwood  was  consulted  in  the  evening.  He 
was  very  willing  to  furnish  the  required  security  for 
the  use  of  the  oil  casks,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  have 
the  same  confidence  in  the  "  Meteor  "•  which  Mr. 
Nelson  exhibited,  though  he  promised  to  consider  the 
matter. 

It  required  three  days  to  complete  the  preparations 
for  raising  the  Woodville.  All  the  ropes  and  rigging 
in  the  neighborhood,  including  many  hay-ropes  and 
clothes-lines,  had  been  collected ;  the  oil  casks  had 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.    107 

been  conveyed  over  the  lake  in  the  ferry-boat,  and 
secured  within  a  "  boom "  composed  of  four  long 
timbers,  lashed  together  at  the  ends,  forming  a  square, 
which  was  moored  close  to  the  Goblins  ;  and  a  raft 
had  been  built,  upon  which  the  operations  were  to 
be  conducted. 

Mr.  Sherwood  had  offered  to  furnish  as  many  men 
as  could  be  employed  to  assist  in  the  work ;  but  the 
young  engineers  had  so  arranged  their  plans  that  no 
help  was  needed.  At  sunrise  in  the  morning  the 
boys  ran  down  to  the  Goblins  in  the  ferry-boat, 
which  was  necessary  for  the  transportation  of  sundry 
heavy  articles.  The  raft  was  already  there,  moored 
in  the  proper  place  for  commencing  the  labors  of  the 
day.  The  engineers  were  deeply  interested  in  the 
operations  before  them,  for  there  was  a  difficult 
problem  to  be  solved,  which  required  all  their  skill 
and  ingenuity  ;  and  Lawry  felt  that  his  future  pros 
perity  and  happiness  depended  in  a  very  great  meas 
ure  upon  the  success  of  the  undertaking. 

Their  plans  and  their  machinery  were  yet  to  be 
tried,  and  there  was  a  degree  of  excitement  attend 
ing  the  execution  of  the  project  which  was  as 


108  HASTE     AND     WASTi:,     OR 

agreeable  as  it  was  stimulating  to  their  enthusiastic 
natures.  People  had  laughed  at  the  idea  of  twp 
boys  raising  a  steamer  burdened  with  heavy  machi 
nery,  and  both  of  them  felt  that  their  reputations 
were  at  stake. 

"  Now,  Lawry,  we  shall  soon  find  out  what  we  can 
do,"  said  Ethan,  as  they  made  fast  the  ferry-boat  to 
the  raft. 

"  I  know  what  we  can  do  now,"  replied  the  young 
pilot,  confidently.  "  If  the  casks  will  float  her,  she 
shall  come  tq  the  top  of  the  water  before  to-morrow 
night.  Now,  Ethan,  the  first  thing  is  to  get  a  rope 
under  her." 

"  That's  easy  enough." 

"  It's  all  easy  enough,  if  you  only  believe  in 
yourself." 

A  rope  of  six  fathoms  in  length  was  selected 
from  the  mass  of  rigging  on  the  raft,  and  a  stone  just 
heavy  enough  to  sink  the  line  attached  to  the  middle 
of  it.  Lawry  took  it  in  the  wherry,  sculled  to  the 
stern  of  the  sunken  steamer,  and  dropped  it  into 
the  water.  lie  then  carried  one  end  to  Ethan, 
on  the  raft,  while  he  returned  with  the  other  in  his 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     109 

boat,  which  he  moored  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Woodville.  The  middle  of  the  rope  was  kept  on 
the  bottom  of  the  lake  by  the  stone,  while  the  two 
ends  were  carried  forward  by  the  boys  until  the  bight 
was  drawn  under  the  keel  of  the  steamer,  as  far  as 
her  position  on  the  rocks  would  permit  it.  to  go. 
Lawry's  end  was  made  fast  around  the  smoke-stack, 
and  Ethan's  to  the  raft. 

One  of  the  hogsheads  was  next  floated  out  of  the 
boom  enclosure,  and  hauled  upon  the  raft.  Lawry 
adjusted  hogshead  slings  —  as  they  are  technically 
called  by  sailors  —  to  the  cask.  In  the  middl3  of  the 
raft  an  aperture  had  been  left,  large  enough  for  a 
hogshead  to  pass  through,  over  which  a  small  derrick 
had  been  built.  A  stone  post,  about  the  length  of 
the  casks,  and  just  heavy  enough  .to  sink  one  of 
them,  had  been  brought  down  on  the  bateau.  This 
"  sinker,"  as  the  young  engineers  called  it,  had  been 
weighed,  and  it  exactly  conformed  to  the  requirement 
of  Ethan's  figures  ;  it  was  just  sufficient  to  overcome 
the  flotage  power  of  the  cask. 

"  Now,  keep  cool,  Ethan,  and  we  shall  find  out 
whether  your  figures  are  correct  or  not,''  said  Lawry, 
10 


110  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

as  the  cask  was  rolled  up  to  the  aperture  in  the 
raft. 

"  Figures  won't  lie,"  replied  Ethan  ;  "  I  know  they 
are  correct,  and  that  hogshead  will  go  to  the  bottom 
as  quick  as  though  it  were  made  of  lead." 

".  We  shall  soon  see,"  added  Lawry,  as  he  placed 
a  couple  of  skids  across  the  "  well,"  as  they  had 
named  the  aperture  in  the  raft.  "  Xow  we  must 
place  the  sinker  oa  those  skids." 

By  the  aid  of  the  derrick,  which  was  provided 
with  a  rude  windlass,  constructed  by  Ethan,  the  stone 
post  was  hoisted  up,  and  then  dropped  down  on  the 
skids.  The  sinker  had  been  rigged  with  slings,  and 
the  hogshead  was  attached  to  it  by  a  contrivance  of 
Lawry,  upon  which  the  success  of  the  operation 
wholly  depended,  and  which  it  will  be  very  difficult 
to  describe  with  words.  The  sinker  would  carry  the 
cask  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  where  its  buoyancy 
was  to  assist  in  bringing  the  steamer  to  the  surface 
of  the  water ;  but  it  was  necessary,  after  the  cask 
had  been  sunk  and  fastened  to  the  hull,  to  detach  it 
from  the  sinker ;  and  this  had  been  a  problem  of  no 
little  difficulty  to  Lawry,  who  managed  the  nautical 
part  of  the  enterprise. 


THE    YOUNG     PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       Ill 

Fastened  to  the  slings  on  the  sinker  was  a  rope 
ten  fathoms  in  length.  A  loop  was  formed  in  this 
line,  close  to  the  sinker,  and  the  bight  passed  through 
the  slings  on  the  hogshead.  The  loop  was  then  laid 
over  the  two  ropes,  one  of  which  was  fast  to  the 
sinker,  and  the  other  was  the  unattached  end  of 
the  line,  and  "  toggled "  on  with  a  marline-spike. 
If  the  young  reader  does  not  quite  understand  the 
process,  let  him  take  a  string,  with  one  end  fastened 
to  a  flatiron  ;  double  it,  and  pass  the  loop  —  which 
sailors  call  a  biyht — upwards  between  the  thumb 
and  forefinger ;  bring  the  loop  down  to  meet  the  two 
parts  of  the  string  on  the  palm  of  the  hand ;  then 
take  the  two  lines  into  the  loop,  and  put  a  pencil 
under  the  two  parts  drawn  through  the  loop.  The 
flatiron  will  correspond  to  the  stone  sinker,  and  the 
thumb  to  the  slings  on  the  hogshead.  Lift  up  the 
flatiron,  so  that  the  weight  will  bear  on  the  thumb ; 
then  pull  out  the  pencil,  and  the  iron  will  drop. 

The  marline-spike  was  thoroughly  greased,  and  a 
small  line  attached  to  the  head  of  it,  so  that  it 
could  be  easily  drawn  out  of  the  loop,  when  the 
cask  had  been  secured  to  the  hull  of  the  steamer. 


112  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

"  There,  we  are  all  right  now,"  said  Lawry,  after 
he  had  tried  the  marline-spike  several  times  to  sat 
isfy  himself  that  it  could  be  easily  drawn  from  its 
place.  "  Now  we  will  make  fast  the  rope  which 
runs  under  the  keel  to  the  hogshead/' 

"  Here  it  is,"  added  Ethan,  detaching  the  line 
from  the  end  of  the  raft. 

"  We  want  to  have  the  cask  under  the  guard  of 
the  steamer  when  we  get  it  down." 

"  That  will  be  easy  enough." 

"  Perhaps  it  will ;  but  I'm  afraid  the  rope  will 
bind  on  the  keel." 

"If  it  does,  we  -must  take  the  raft  round  to  the 
other  side  of  the  Woodviile,  and  pass  it  round  the 
windlass  ;  we  can  haul  it  up  in  that  way." 

"  That  will  take  too  much  time.  I  think  you 
and  I  both  will  be  strong  enough  to  haul  the  cask 
into  place." 

Everything  was  now  in  readiness  for  the  sinking 
of  the  hogshead,  and  both  of  the  boys  were  in 
tensely  excited  to  learn  the  success  of  the  exper 
iment.  They  had  been  very  careful  in  adjusting  all 
the  ropes  and  other  apparatus,  and  their  calculations 


1?HE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE     CHAMPLAIN.       113 

had  been  so  accurately  made,  that  little  had  been 
left  to  chance.  The  cask  lay  on  the  skids  with  the 
sinker.  The  long  rope  fastened  to  the  weight,  and 
"  toggled  "  to  the  hogshead,  was  passed  through  the 
block  on  the  derrick,  and  wound  around  the  wind 
lass. 

"  Now,  give  us  a  turn  at  the  windlass,  Ethan," 
said  Lawry,  when  he  was  ready. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  replied  Ethan,  as  he  turned  the  crank, 
and  raised  the  sinker  and  the  cask,  so  that  the 
skids  which  supported  them  could  be  removed. 

"  Lower  away  !  "  added  Lawry,  highly  excited  ;  and 
the  sinker  began  to  descend  into  the  water,  carry 
ing  with  it  the  hogshead.  "  That  works  first  rate. 
Now  hold  on  till  I  get  hold  of  the  other  end  of 
the  guide-rope." 

Lawry  jumped  into  the  wherry,  and  sculled  round 
to  the  other  side  of  the  sunken  steamer,  where  he 
detached  the  end  of  the  line  passing  under  the  keel 
from  the  smoke-stack,  where  it  had  been  secured. 
He  hauled  on  the  rope  till  he  got  it  clear  of  the 
stone  with  which  it  had  been  sunk. 

"  Lower  away  !  "  shouted  Lawry. 
10* 


114  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

"  Lower,  it  is,"  answered  Ethan. 

"  Slowly,"  added  the  pilot,  as  he  hauled  in  the 
rope. 

"It  is  going  to  the  right  place.  I  can  see  it  in 
the  water." 

"  Hold  on  !  "  cried  Lawry  ;  and  the  wherry  was 
so  unsteady  beneath  him,  that  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  he  "  kept  what  he  had  got "  on  the  rope. 

In  order  to  overcome  this  disadvantage  he  passed 
the  rope  around  the  smoke-stack. 

"  I  have  it  now  !  "  shouted  he.  "  This  gives  me 
a  splendid  purchase  ;  "  and  he  hauled  in  the  rope, 
bringing  the  hogshead  chock  up  to  the  hull  of  the 
sunken  craft. 

"  We  are  growing  wiser  every  moment,"  laughed 
Ethan. 

"  So  we  are.  Lower  away,  slowly.  That's  it," 
said  Lawry.  "  Lower  away." 

"  The  sinker  is  on  the  bottom,"  replied  Ethan, 
as  he  let  go  the  crank  of  the  windlass. 

"  All  right ;   can  you  see  the  hogshead  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  you  have  hauled  it  completely  under  the 
guard.  The  water  is  as  clear  as  crystal,"  answered 
Ethan. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       115 

"Hold  on  a  moment  till  I  make  fast  this  line;" 
and  Lawry  secured  the  rope  to  the  smoke-stack,  so 
that  the  cask  could  not  slip  out  from  its  position 
under  the  guard. 

Thus  far  the  experiment  had  been  entirely  suc 
cessful,  and  Lawry's  bosom  bounded  with  emotion. 
The  plan  for  raising  the  Woodville  was  his  own, 
though  he  had  been  greatly  assisted  by  Ethan,  who 
had  desfgned  and  constructed  the  derrick  and  wind 
lass,  thus  diminishing  the  labor  of  the  enterprise. 
The  young  pilot  felt  like  a  conqueror  when  he  had 
placed  the  first  cask  in  position. 

Sculling  the  wherry  back  to  the  raft,  he  pulled 
the  string  attached  to  the  toggle,  and  drew  it  out 
of  the  noose. 

"  Hoist  away,"  said  he,  grasping  the  crank  of  the 
windlass. 

"  Hoist,  it  is,"  replied  Ethan,  as  he  took  hold 
with  him. 

"  All  right !  "  shouted  the  young  nautical  engineer, 
when  he  was  satisfied  that  the  sinker  was  clear  of 
the  hogshead.  "  I  feel  like  giving  three  cheers," 
he  added ;  and  his  face  glowed  under  the  pleasura 
ble  excitement  which  attended  his  success. 


116  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

"  So  do  I ;  and  we'll  do  it,  when  we  get  the 
sinker  on  the  raft." 

The  stone  post  came  up  "  in  good  order  and 
condition,"  and  the  skids  were  placed  under  it,  to 
keep  it  in  position  for  the  sinking  of  the  second 
hogshead.  The  three  cheers  were  given  with  a  will ; 
and  they  came  from  the  hearts  of  the  boys.  They 
had  labored  patiently  and  hopefully  for  three  days 
in  gathering  the  material  and  constructing  the  ma 
chinery  for  the  raising  of  the  steamer,  and  their  first 
success  was  a  real  joy. 

"  Breakfast  time,"  said  Lawry,  as  the  horn  sounded 
from  the  ferry-house. 

"  I  don't  want  any  breakfast,"  answered  Ethan. 
"  I  don't  feel  as  though  we  could  spare  the  time 
for  eating." 

"  Haste  and  waste,"  added  Lawry,  laughing.  "  We 
have  got  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  to  do,  and  we 
must  keep  up  our  strength.  For  my  part,  I'm 
hungry." 

"  I'm  not ;  and  I'm  so  interested  in  this  job  that 
I  don't  like  to  leave.  We  ought  to  have  brought 
our  breakfast  down  with  us." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAB1PLAIN.        117 

"  I  don't  think  we  shall  make  anything  by  driv 
ing  the  work  too  hard.  We  must  keep  cool,  and 
do  it  well.  Besides,  I'm  liable  to  be  called  off  a 
dozen  times  a  day." 

"  What  for  ?  " 

"  To  take  people  over  the  ferry." 

"  O,  bother  !  "  exclaimed  Ethan,  impatiently. 
"  Have  we  got  to  leave  the  work  to  paddle  every 
body  that  comes  along  over  the  lake  ?  " 

"  We  have,"  said  Lawry.  "  I  must  look  out  for 
the  family  now." 

The  young  pilot  looked  sad  as  he  uttered  this 
remark,  for  he  thought  of  his  father  in  prison. 

There  was  a  good  wind,  and  the  boys  returned 
to  the  ferry-house  in  the  bateau.  Before  they  had 
finished  their  breakfast,  the  ferry  horn  sounded,  and 
Lawry  was  obliged  to  take  a  team  over  to  Point- 
ville  before  the  work  could  be  resumed.  Ethan  was 
rather  impatient  under  this  delay ;  but  he  was  too 
kind-hearted  to  make  any  unpleasant  remark  which 
would  remind  his  friend  of  his  father's  crime. 


118  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OK 


CHAPTER     IX. 

BEX  WILFORD'S  PLAN. 

WHILE  Lawry  was  ferrying  the  team  over  the 
lake,  Ethan  occupied  himself  in  making  a  long- 
handled  boat-hook,  which  might  be  useful  in  the  op 
eration  of  raising  the  steamer.  While  he  was  thus 
engaged,  a  young  man,  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
coarsely  dressed,  and  with  a  very  red  face,  came 
down  the  road  and  stopped  at  the  place  where  he 
was  at  work. 

"  What  you  making  ? "  asked  the  young  man. 

"  A  boat-hook,"  replied  Ethan. 

"  Do  you  belong  here  ?  "  continued  the  stranger, 
nodding  his  head  towards  the  ferry-house. 

"  No  ;  I'm  only  helping  Lawry  Wilford  for  a  few 
days." 

"The  old  man's  got  into  hot  water,  they  say." 

"  Yes." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     119 

"  Well,  he  was  always  preaching  to  me  about 
doing  the  right  thing  ;  and  now  he's  fallen  off  the 
horse-block  himself,"  added  the  young  man,  with  a 
slight  chuckle,  which  was  not  at  all  pleasing  to 
Ethan. 

"  It's  bad  for  Mr.  Wilford  and  his  family." 
"  That's  so.     Where's  Lawry  now  ?  " 
"  He  has  gone  over  with  the  ferry-boat." 
"  I  reckon  Lawry  has  to  run  the  machine  now." 
"  He  has  to  run  the  ferry-boat." 
"Well,   he  knows  how.     Lawry's  smart  —  he  is. 
I  suppose  you  don't  know  me." 
"I  do  not." 

"  I'm  Lawry's  brother ;  and  that  makes  it  that 
Lawry  is  my  brother." 

"  Then  you  are  Benjamin  Wilford  ?  " 
"  That's   my  name ;    but   Ben   Wilford   sounds    a 
good  deal  more  natural  to  me.     I  heard  the  old  man 
had  got  into  trouble,  and  I  came  up  to  see  about  it, 
.  though  I'm  out  of  a  job  just  now,  and  couldn't  do 
anything  better.     I  hear  that  Lawry  owns  a  steam 
boat,  and  I  didn't  know  but  he'd  want  some  help. 
Where  is  she  ?  " 


120  HASTE    AXD    AVASTE,    OR 

"  She's  on  the  bottom,  out  there  by  the  Goblins," 
answered  Ethan,  pointing  to  the  raft.  "  We  are 
at  work  raising  her." 

"  Can  you  get  her  up,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall  have  her  at  the 
top  of  the  water  by  to-morrow  night." 

"  I've  come  just  in  time,  then,"  added  the  young 
man.  "  I  think  I  know  something  about  a  steam 
boat." 

Ethan  did  not  like  the  looks  of  Lawry's  brother. 
His  bloated  face  was  against  him,  and  the  young  en 
gineer,  without  knowing  anything  more  about  him 
than  his  swaggering  manner  and  red  face  revealed, 
wished  he  had  staid  away  a  few  days  longer. 

"  I'll  go  in  and  see  the  old  woman,  and  get  some 
breakfast ;  then  I'll  go  up  with  you,  and  see  what 
you  are  doing,"  said  Ben  Wilford. 

"  We  are  going  up  as  soon  as  Lawry  comes  back," 
answered  Ethan,  pointing  to  the  ferry-boat,  which 
was  now  half  way  across  the  lake  on  her  return. 

The  dissolute  young  man,  who  had  just  been  dis 
charged  from  his  situation  as  a  deck  hand  on  one 
of  the  steamers,  for  intemperance  and  neglect  of 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     121 

duty,  sauntered  into  the  house  ;  and  the  fresh  hreeze 
soon  brought  the  impatient  Lawry  to  the  shore. 

"  Lawry,  AVG  have  got  some  help,"   said  Ethan. 

"  Who  ? " 

"  Your  brother  has  just  come." 

"  Ben  ?  "  asked  the  young  pilot,  a  troubled  expres 
sion  gathering  on  his  face. 

"  Yes  ;  he  has  gone  into  the  house  to  get  his 
breakfast." 

"  I'll  go  in  and  see  him,"  added  Lawry,  who  did 
not  seem  to  be  at  all  pleased  with  the  news  of  his 
brother's  arrival. 

It  is  a  sad  thing  for  a  brother  to  behave  so  badly 
that  he  cannot  be  welcome  at  his  own  home. 

Mrs.  Wilford  shook  hands  with  Benjamin  as  he 
entered.  She  was  glad  to  see  him,  and  her  mother's 
heart  went  out  towards  him  ;  but  she  was  filled  with 
doubts  and  fears.  The  young  man  only  laughed 
while  his  mother  wept  at  the  story  of  the  father's 
crime.  He  sat  down  to  his  breakfast,  and  declared 
that  he  had  come  home  to  take  care  of  the  family. 

"  I  hope  you  are  able  to  take  care  of  yourself, 
11 


122  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

Benjamin,"  replied  his  mother,  as  she  glanced  at  his 
bloated  face. 

"  I  always  did  that,  mother.  The  old  man  and  I 
couldn't  agree  very  well,  but  I  reckon  you  and  I 
can  get  along  together.  Lavvry,  how  are  you  ? "  con 
tinued  the  returned  wanderer,  as  his  brother  entered 
the  room. 

"  Very  well ;  how  are  you,  Ben  ?  "  answered  Law- 
ry,  as  he  shook  hands  with  his  brother. 

"  First  rate.     How  about  the  steamboat,  Lawry  ?  " 

"  She's  all  right ;  or  she  will  be,  when  we  get 
her  up." 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  raise  her  ?  " 

"  I  know  we  can." 

"  Well,  I  heard  all  about  her  up  in  the  village, 
and  I  have  come  home  to  help  you.  I  know  all 
about  steamboats,  you  know." 

"What  did  you  leave  your  place  for?" 

"  The  captain  and  I  couldn't  agree.  I'm  going 
to  run  an  opposition  line." 

"  Are  you  ?  " 

"I  am  ;  bet  your  life  I  am." 

"  Where  will  you  get  your  boats  ? " 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.      123 

"  Don't  want  but  one  ;  and  they  say  your  boat  is 
the  finest  little  craft  that  ever  floated  on  the  lake." 

"  She  is,  without  a  doubt." 

"  Well,  we  can  take  some  money  out  of  the  cap 
tain's  pocket,  at  any  rate.  We'll  make  a  fortune  out 
of  your  boat,  Lawry,  if  we  get  her  up." 

"  I  shall  get  her  up  by  to-morrow  night." 

"  I'll  help  you,  Lawry." 

"  We  don't  need  any  help  at  present.  I  must  go 
now,  for  Ethan  is  waiting  for  me." 

"Who's  Ethan?" 

"  Ethan  French ;  he  is  the  engineer  of  the 
steamer,"  answered  the  young  pilot,  moving  towards 
the  door. 

"  Hold  on  a  minute,  Lawry,  and  I'll  be  ready 
to  go  with  you.  I  can  show  you  how  to  do  the 
business." 

"  I  know  now." 

"  You're  smart,  Lawry ;  but  you're  not  so  old 
as  I  am." 

"  I'm  old  enough  to  do  this  job." 

"  You  haven't  seen  so  much  of  steamboats  as  I 
have." 


124  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Now,  Benjamin,  you  musn't  interfere  with  Law- 
ry's  work,"  interposed  Mrs.  Wilford.  "  He  knows 
what  he  is  about." 

"  I'm  not  going  to  interfere  with  him ;  I'm  only 
going  to  help  him." 

"  If  you  really  want  to  help  me,  I'll  tell  you  what 
you  can  do,"  said  Lawry. 

"What's  that?" 

"  You  can  run  the  ferry." 

"Run  the  ferry!"  exclaimed  Ben.  "Why,  I  know 
more  about  steamboats  than  you  and  your  engineer 
put  together.  Do  you  suppose  I'm  going  to  run  a 
ferry-boat  when  there's  a  job  of  this  sort  on  hand  ?  " 

"  You  can  help  more  in  this  way  than  in  any 
other,"  persisted  Lawry. 

"  Run  a  ferry-boat !  "  sneered  Ben ;  "  that  isn't 
my  style." 

"  We  don't  need  any  help  on  the  steamer." 

"  Yes,  you  do.  At  any  rate,  I'll  go  down  and  see 
what  you  are  about." 

"  If  you  would  only  take  care  of  the  ferry,  you 
would  help  me  ever  so  much,  Ben,"  added  Lawry. 

"  I  don't  see  it,"  said  the  older  brother,  as  he  rose 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     125 

from  the  table,  and  followed  Lawry  out  of  the 
house. 

Ben  was  not  to  be  shaken  off  so  easily.  When 
the  pilot  and  engineer  took  their  places  in  the  bateau, 
he  lighted  his  pipe,  and  took  a  seat  on  the  platform, 
entertaining  the  boys  with  an  animated  description 
of  his  abilities  as  a  "  steamboat  man."  There  was 
nothing  he  did  not  know,  and  there  was  no  position 
he  was  not  competent  to  fill.  When  the  ferry-boat 
reached  the  Goblins,  he  stepped  upon  the  raft,  and 
proceeded  to  inspect  the  machinery  used  in  sub 
merging  the  casks. 

"  What's  that  rock  for  ?  "  he  demanded,  pointing 
to  the  sinker  which  lay  on  the  skids. 

"  To  sink  the  casks  with,"  replied  Ethan  ;  and  he 
explained  the  process  by  which  the  hogsheads  were 
attached  to  the  hull  of  the  Woodville. 

"  Well,  Lawry,  if  you  had  been  studying  seven 
years  to  get  up  the  stupidest  thing  that  could  be 
thought  of,  you  could  not  have  got  up  a  more  ridicu 
lous  idea  than  this,"  said  Ben,  laughing  contempt 
uously. 

"  How  would  you  raise  her  ? "  asked  Lawry, 
11* 


126  HASTE     AND    WASTE,    OK 

quietly,  though  his  cheeks  burned  at  the  words  of 
his  brother. 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't  do  it  in  this  way,  I  can  tell  you. 
If  you  want  me  to  take  this  job  in  hand  for  you,  I'll 
do  it.  You  might  as  well  try  to  raise  the  Goblins  as 
the  steamer  in  this  way." 

"  It  is  very  easy  to  condemn  the  method,"  added 
Ethan,  indignantly  ;  "  but  it  isn't  so  easy  to  find  a 
better  one." 

"  You  say  you  don't  want  any  help  from  me,"  said 
Ben,  who  believed  that  he  had  impaired  the  confi 
dence  of  the  young  engineers  in  their  method. 

"  If  you  can  tell  me  any  better  way,  I  should  like 
to  hear  it,"  replied  Lawry. 

"  If  you  want  me  to  raise  your  steamer,  say  the 
word." 

"  Let  me  know  how  you  intend  to  do  it,  first," 
persisted  Lawry,  who  had  carefully  considered  sev 
eral  methods  of  accomplishing  the  work,  and  finally 
adopted  the  only  one  within  the  compass  of  his 
means.  "  It's  easier  to  talk  than  it  is  to  do.'" 

"  You're  smart,  Lawry ;  but  you  can't  raise  *^at 
steamer  with  those  casks  in  seven  years." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX,     127 

"  I'll  have  her  on  the  top  of  the  water  by  to, 
morrow  night,"  said  the  young  pilot. 

"  No,  you  won't." 

"  You  see  !     But  we  must  go  to  work,  Ethan." 

"  That's  just  my  idea."  said  the  engineer,  as  he 
threw  off  his  coat,  and  jumped  into  the  wherry  to 
bring  out  another  cask  from  the  boom. 

"  Then  you  don't  want  me  to  do  the  job  ?  "  added 
Ben,  evidently  disappointed  to  find  he  had  not 
produced  the  impression  he  intended. 

"  No,  I  think  not,"  replied  Lawry,  rather  coldly. 

"  I  think  my  way  is  the  best." 

"  Perhaps  it  is ;  but  I  don't  know  what  your 
way  is." 

"  I'll  tell  you,  Lawry,  for  I  don't  like  to  have  you 
waste  your  time  and  strength  doing  nothing  ;  besides, 
we  want  the  steamer  as  soon  as  we  can  get  her,  or 
the  season  will  be  over." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  we,  Ben  ?  "  asked  Lawry, 
quietly. 

"  Why,  you  and  me,  of  course.  I  know  something 
about  steamers,  and  perhaps  I  should  be  willing  to 
go  captain  of  your  boat,  if  you  ever  get  her  into 
working  order." 


128  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Perhaps  you  would,"  answered  Lawry,  greatly 
refreshed  by  this  cool  proposition. 

"  Of  course  you  mean  to  use  the  boat  for  the 
benefit  of  the  family,  now  the  old  man  is  jugged, 
and  can't  do  anything  more  for  them." 

"  To  be  sure  I  do." 

"  I'm  willing  to  do  my  part ;  and  as  I'm  older  than 
you,  and  know  all  about  steamboats,  it  would  be  a 
good  deal  more  fitting  for  me  to  take  charge  of  the 
boat  than  for  you  to  do  it.  You  can  be  the  pilot, 
and  the  other  fellow  can  be  the  engineer." 

"  And  we  can  both  of  us  have  the  privilege  of 
obeying  your  orders,"  laughed  Lawry. 

"  Well,  I  shouldn't  be  likely  to  interfere  with  you ; 
your  place  would  be  in  the  wheel-house." 

"  And  yours  in  the  cabin,  Captain  Wilford.  I 
can't  stop  to  talk  about  this  now.  There  comes 
Ethan  with  the  cask." 

"  You  might  as  well  stop  this  foolish  work  first 
as  last,"  sneered  the  would-be  captain  of  the  Wood- 
ville.  "  I  was  going  to  tell  you  how  to  raise  her." 

"  Go  on ;  we'll  hear  you,  and  work  at  the  same 
time,"  said  Ethan,  as  they  rolled  the  hogshead  upon 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.     129 

the  raft,  where  Lawry  proceeded  to  put  on  the 
slings. 

"  I  should  get  two  of  those  canal  boats,  having 
about  eight  feet  depth  of  hold,"  continued  Ben. 

"  Where  would  you  get  them  ?  ''  demanded  Lawry. 

"  Get  them  ?  Hire  them,  of  course.  You  can  get 
plenty  of  them  at  Port  Henry." 

"  Have  you  any  money  in  your  pocket  ?  " 

"  They  wouldn't  cost  more  than  fifty  or  a  hundred 
dollars." 

"  I  haven't  got  even  fifty  dollars,"  said  Lawry. 

"  They  would  trust  you  on  the  security  of  your 
steamer." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  trusted  for  any  such  purpose. 
What  would  you  do  with  your  canal  boats  when  you 
had  got  them  ?  "  asked  Lawry,  who  knew  perfectly 
well  what  plan  his  brother  was  about  to  propose. 

"  I  would  moor  one  on  each  side   of  the  steamer, 

put  a  couple  of   timbers  across  them,  pass  a  chain 

• 

under   the   bow  and  stern  of  the   sunken  hull,   and 

make  fast  to  the  timbers.  Then  I  would  let  the 
water  into  the  canal  boats,  and  sink  them  down  to 
the  rails.  When  I  got  them  down  as  deep  as  I 


130  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

could,  I  would  tighten  the  chains,  till  they  bore  taut 
on  the  timbers.  Do  you  understand  it,  Lawry  ?  " 

"  Certainly  ;  I  know  all  about  the  plan,"  replied 
the  young  pilot,  with  a  smile. 

"  I  don't  believe  you  do,"  said  Ben,  incredulously. 
"  What  would  you  do  next  ?  " 

"  Pump  the  water  out  of  the  two  canal  boats, 
which  would  take  about  two  days'  time." 

"  You  could  rig  extra  pumps." 

"  Three  of  us,  with  three  pumps,  couldn't  pump 
them  out  in  two  days." 

"  Well,  the  job  is  done  when  you  have  pumped 
them  out." 

"  When  you  get  the  water  out  of  the  boats,  you 
will  have  raised  the  steamer  but  three  or  four  feet 
at  most." 

"  Six  feet,  at  least,  for  the  canal  boats  will  come 
up  where  they  were  before." 

"  No,  they  won't ;  the  weight  of  the  steamer  will 
press  them  down  two  or  three,  feet." 

An  excited  discussion  followed  upon  this  question ; 
but  Lawry  and  Ethan  carried  their  point.  It  was 
plain  that  the  buoyant  powers  of  the  two  boats,  as 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     131 

the  water  was  pumped  put  of  them,  would  raise  the 
steamer  three  or  four  feet,  leaving  her  suspended 
half  way  between  the  surface  and  the  bottom  of  the 
lake.  Lawry  wanted  the  aspirant  for  the  captaincy 
of  the  Woodville  to  tell  him  what  he  would  do  next, 
for  she  could  not  be  repaired  while  she  was  under 
water  ;  but  Ben  was  "  nonplussed,"  and  unable  to 

answer. 

• 

"  I  can  finish  that  job  for  you,"  said  Lawry, 
smiling  at  the  weakness  of  his  brother. 

"  She  could  be  moored  on  the  ways,  and  then 
hauled  up." 

"  Perhaps  she  might,  but  I  should  rather  put  her 
on  the  ways  from  the  top  of  the  water.  When  I  got 
her  three  feet  from  the  bottom,  I  should  move  her 
towards  the  shore  till  she  grounded." 

"  What  then  ?  "  asked  Ben. 

"  I  should  sink  the  canal  boats  again,  pump  them 
out  once  more,  and  thus  raise  her  three  feet  more  ; 
but  it  would  take  about  three  days  every  time  we 
lifted  her  three  feet.  Ben,  I  think  we  could  get 
her  to  the  top  of  the  water  in  about  a  fortnight  by 
your  plan.  By  mine,  I  shall  have  her  up  by  to 
morrow  night." 


132  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

"  I'll  bet  you  won't ;  or  in  a  month  either.  You 
know  too  much,  Lawry,"  said  Ben,  disgusted  at  the 
confidence  of  his  brother. 

"  I  don't  bet ;  but  you  shall  see  her  at  the  ferry- 
landing  by  seven  to-morrow  evening  if  you  are 
there." 

By  this  time  the  sinker  was  attached  to  the  hogs 
head,  the  toggle  adjusted,  and  everything  on  the 
raft  in  readiness  to  send  the  second  cask  down  to 
its  place.  Before  it  could  be  done,  however,  another 
guide  line  had  to  be  dropped  under  the  keel,  and 
the  raft  moved  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  steamer, 
for  it  was  necessary  to  keep  the  same  number  of  casks 
on  each  side  of  the  hull.  The  work  was  successfully 
accomplished,  amid  the  sneers  and  criticisms  of  Ben 
Wilford.  A  third  and  a  fourth  were  sunk  before 
dinner  time. 

The  older  brother,  finding  himself  only  a  cipher  on 
the  raft,  had  consented  to  run  the  ferry  in  the  after 
noon,  when  the  horn  sounded ;  and  the  pilot  and 
engineer  were  thus  enabled  to  continue  their  labor 
without  interruption. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       133 


CHAPTER    X. 

HARD    AT    WORK. 

WHEX  Lawry  and  Ethan  returned  to  the  Gob 
lins,  in  the  afternoon,  they  were  delighted  to  find 
that  the  four  casks,  all  of  which  had  been  placed 
under  the  guards  abaft  the  wheel,  had  actually  pro 
duced  an  effect  upon  the  steamer.  The  smoke-stack 
stood  up  more  perpendicularly,  indicating  that  the 
stern  had  been  lifted  from  the  bottom.  Ethan  was 
sure  that  half  a  dozen  more  casks  would  bring  the 
Woodville  to  the  surface  of  the  lake ;  but  a  very 
serious  difficulty  now  presented  itself. 

About  two  thirds  of  the  length  of  the  steamer's 
keel  rested  on  a  flat  rock,  whose  surface  was  in 
clined  downwards  towards  the  body  of  the  lake, 
leaving  the  third  next  to  the  stern  unsupported, 
under  which  the  ropes  had  been  easily  drawn  to 
retain  the  casks  in  their  places.  Of  course  it  was 
12 


134  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

impossible  to  draw  any  lines  under  the  forward  part 
of  the  keel,  which  rested  on  the  flat  rock,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  devise  some  means  for  securing 
the  casks  to  this  portion  of  the  hull. 

The  problem  was  a  hard  one ;  and  various  meth 
ods  of  overcoming  the  difficulty  were  proposed. 
Ethan  was  in  favor  of  attaching  the  casks  to  the 
bulwarks  on  the  forward  deck  ;  but  Lawry  thought 
this  would  require  a  large  portion  of  the  work  to 
be  done  a  second  time.  The  pilot  thought  there 
might  be  spaces  between  the  keel  and  the  rock  on 
which  it  rested,  large  enough  for  the  passage  of  a 
rope  ;  and  he  believed  he  could  dive  down  on  one 
side  and  insert  the  line,  and  then  on  the  other  side 
and  haul  it  up.  Ethan  regarded  this  as  very  dan 
gerous  to  the  diver,  if  not  wholly  impracticable,  and 
he  would  not  indorse  it. 

"  I  have  it,"  said  Lawry,  after  this  method  had 
been  rejected. 

"What  is  it?" 

"  We  must  sink  more  casks  under  the  stern." 

"  But  that  will  bring  one  end  up,  and  leave  the 
other  on  the  rock." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       135 

"  That  isn't  what  I  mean.  If  we  put,  say,  two 
more  hogsheads  under  the  stern,  they  will  raise  it 
so  we  can  get  the  ropes  under  the  forward  part  of 
the  hull." 

"  I  understand ;  you  are  right,  Lawry,"  replied 
Ethan. 

Without  the  loss  of  another  moment  the  boys 
went  to  work.  Two  more  casks  under  the  stern 
raised  it  so  that  the  rope  could  be  passed  under 
the  keel  forward  of  the  wheels.  The  rest  of  the 
afternoon  was  employed  in  getting  the  guide  lines 
ready  for  the  next  day ;  and  six  of  them  were  passed 
under  the  keel.  The  young  engineers  were  confident 
that  this  number  of  casks  would  bring  the  steamer 
to  the  surface  of  the  water. 

When  they  returned  to  the  ferry-house,  they  found 
Mr.  Sherwood  and  the  ladies  there,  who  had  come 
down  to  ascertain  what  progress  had  been  made  in 
the  work.  Ben  Wilford  had  freely  expressed  his 
opinion  that  the  enterprise  would  end  in  failure. 

"  Those  boys  know  too  much ;  that's  all  the  trou 
ble',"  said  Ben. 

"  I  was  in  hopes  they  would  succeed  in  their 
undertaking,"  added  Mr.  Sherwood. 


136  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

"  So  was  I,  sir ;  but  there's  no  chance  of  their 
doing  anything.  I  know  something  about  steam 
boats,  for  I've  been  at  work  on  them  for  three 
years." 

"  And  you  are  quite  sure  they  will  fail  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  Just  as  sure  as  I  am  of  anything  in  this  world. 
I  told  them  what  the  trouble  would  be  ;  but  they 
know  so  much  they  won't  hear  me.  I  told  them 
how  it  ought  to  be  done." 

"  Here  they  come  ;  they  can  speak  for  themselves," 
said  Mr.  Sherwood,  as  the  boys  landed  from  the 
wherry.  "  How  do  you  get  along,  Lawry  ?  " 

"  First  rate,  sir." 

"  Indeed  !  Your  brother  thinks  you  are  going  to 
make  a  failure  of  the  job." 

"  Perhaps  AVC  are,  sir  ;  but  we  don't  believe  it  yet 
—  do  we  Ethan  ?  " 

"We  don't." 

"  Lawry,  wouldn't  you  be  willing  to  sell  out  your 
interest  in  the  Woodville  at  a  small  figure  ?  "  laughed 
Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  Xo,  sir  !  " 


THE    YOUNO    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       137 

"  Your  brother,  who  seems  to  be  a  person  of 
some  experience  in  such  matters,  thinks  you  will 
not  be  able  to  raise  the  steamer.  If  that  is  likely 
to  be  the  case,  I  don't  want  you  to  waste  your 
time  and  strength  for  nothing.  I  should  be  glad 
to  employ  some  men  to  raise  the  Woodville  for 
you." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  You  are  very  kind,"  replied 
Lawry. 

"  If  you  like,  we  will  ride  down  to  Port  Henry 
to-night,  and  employ  a  man  to  do  the  job." 

"  I  think  we  shall   succeed,  sir." 

"  What's  the  use  of  talking,  Lawry  ?  "  interposed 
Ben.  "  You'll  not  get  her  up  in  seven  years." 

"  Don't  you  think  you  had  better  give  it  up, 
Lawry  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  Not  yet,  sir." 

"  We  can  find  a  person  at  Port  Henry  who  is 
accustomed  to  such  work." 

"  I  offered  to  raise  her  for  him,"  said  Ben.  "  He 
won't  hear  me ;  he  knows  too  much  for  his  own 
good." 


138  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

"  What  do  you  think,  Lawry  ?  Hadn't  you  bet 
ter  let  me  employ  a  man  to  do  the  work  r " 

"  Ethan  and  I  can  do  it  very  well,  sir." 

"  Perhaps  you  can ;  but  we  wish  to  have  the 
steamer  in  working  order  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
we  may  hasten  the  job  by  employing  men  of  expe 
rience  to  do  it." 

"  Haste  and  waste,"  said  Lawry,  laughing.  "  Mr. 
Sherwood,  I  am  satisfied  we  can  raise  the  Wood- 
ville.  We  don't  want  any  help.  If  we  don't  get 
her  up  by  to-morrow  night  I  will  let  some  one  else 
take  hold ;  but  it  will  cost  a  heap  of  money." 

"  It  shall  not  cost  you  anything,  Lawry.  I  haven't 
half  paid  the  debt  of  gratitude  I  owe  you." 

"  O,  never  mind  that,  sir !  I  only  want  one  more 
day." 

"  You  are  very  confident,  my  boy,  and  I  hope 
you  will  succeed,"  added  Mr.  Sherwood,  as  he  turned 
to  depart. 

"  Take  him  up,  Lawry,"  said  Ben.  "  Let  him 
raise  her.  He  will  do  it  at  his  own  expense,  and 
perhaps  he  will  give  me  the  job." 

"  Not  to-night." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       139 

"  You  are  a  fool,  Lawry  !  "  exclaimed  Ben,  when 
Mr.  Sherwood  and  the  ladies  had  gone. 

"  Perhaps  I  am.     Time  will  tell." 

"  He  offered  to  pay  for  raising  her,  and  you 
Vvouldn't  let  him  do  it  ! " 

"  He  has  made  me  a  present  of  the  steamer  as 
she  lies ;  and  I  don't  ask  anything  more  of  him. 
I  would  rather  not  take  anything  more." 

"  Take  all  you  can  get,  Lawry.  That's  the  only 
way  to  get  along  in  this  world." 

Ben  was  disgusted  at  the  conduct  of  his  brother. 
He  was  rather  envious  of  him  for  the  reputation  he 
had  made  as  a  "  smart  boy."  He  did  not  believe 
that  the  Woodville  could  be  raised  by  the  method 
adopted,  and  he  was  dissatisfied  because  his  own 
counsels  had  been  disregarded,  and  because  he  had 
so  little  influence  with  the  operators.  He  Avas  older 
and  more  experienced  than  Lawry,  who,  he  thought, 
should  "  give  up "  to  him,  take  his  advice,  and  fol 
low  his  directions.  He  wanted  to  be  captain  of 
the  Woodville,  handle  the  money  she  was  to  earn, 
and  generally  to  be  at  the  head  of  the  enterprise. 
There  was  likely  to  be  a  difference  of  opinion  be 
tween  him  and  Lawry  on  these  points. 


140  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

Ethan  slept  with  his  fellow-workman  at  the  cot 
tage  that  night,  and  at  daylight  in  the  morning  they 
were  on  their  way  to  the  Goblins.  At  breakfast 
time  two  casks  had  been  sunk  under  the  bow  of  the 
steamer,  for  they  had  become  so  familiar  with  the 
work,  that  it  was  carried  on  with  greater  rapidity 
than  at  the  first. 

At  breakfast  they  were  laughed  at  again  by  Ben 
Wilford  ;  but  they  chose  to  keep  still,  made  no  re 
plies,  and  gave  no  information  in  regard  to  the  prog 
ress  of  the  work.  At  the  earnest  request  of  Lawry, 
seconded  by  Mrs.  Wilford,  Ben  consented  to  run  the 
ferry  that  day,  and  the  young  engineers  took  their 
dinners  with  them  when  they  went  down  to  the 
Goblins.  They  were  full  of  hope,  and  confidently 
expected  to  return  to  the  landing  at  night  with  the 
Woodville. 

At  eleven  o'clock  four  more  hogsheads  had  been 
placed  under  the  guards.  The  steamer  swayed  a 
little  in  the  water  ;  the  stern  had  risen  about  two 
feet ;  and  it  was  evident  that  she  was  on  the  point 
of  floating.  The  boys  were  intensely  excited  at  the 
bright  prospect  before  them. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.      141 

"  Lawry,   the  work  is  nearly  done,"   said  Ethan. 

"  That's  so  ;  I  think  a  couple  of  those  barrels  will 
finish  it,"  answered  the  young  pilot,  as  he  looked 
down  upon  the  forward  deck  of  the  steamer.  "  I 
see  two  anchors  at  her  bow." 

"  Yes,  there  are  two  anchors  and  about  forty 
fathoms  of  small  chain  cable  on  board  of  her." 

"  I  see  them  ;  and  I  think  we  had  better  fish 
them  up." 

"That's  a  good  idea." 

With  the  long  boat-hook  which  Ethan  had  made, 
the  cables  were  hauled  up  and  coiled  away  on  the 
raft,  which  had  been  placed  over  the  bow  of  the 
sunken  vessel.  When  the  chains  which  were  bent 
on  to  the  anchors  had  been  hauled  taut,  the  sinker 
rope,  still  in  the  block,  and  wound  on  the  windlass 
of  the  derrick,  was  made  fast  to  one  of  them,  and 
the  anchor  drawn  up.  The  operation  was  then 
repeated  on  the  other  anchor. 

"  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  shouted  Lawry,  as  they  be 
gan  to  turn  the  windlass.  "  She's  coming  up." 

"  Hurrah  !  "  repeated  Ethan,  and  the  faces  of  both 
boys  glowed  with  excited  joy,  as  the  sunken  vessel 
followed  the  anchor  up  to  the  surface  of  the  water. 


142  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

It  was  necessary  to  move  the  raft,  and  the  anchor 
was  hauled  out  over  the  top  of  the  bulwarks.  The 
Woodville  rose  till  her  plankshear  was  even  with  the 
surface  of  the  water.  The  boys  shouted  for  joy ; 
they  were  almost  beside  themselves  with  the  excite 
ment  of  that  happy  moment.  They  had  conquered  ; 
success  had  crowned  their  labors. 

"  The  job  is  done  ! "  cried  Lawry,  as  he  gazed 
with  the  most  intense  satisfaction  at  the  steamer, 
which  now  floated  before  him. 

"  That's  so  !  Where  is  you*  brother  now  ? "  ex 
claimed  Ethan. 

"  We  have  got  her  up  sooner  than  I  expected.  I 
move  you  we  have  our  dinner  now." 

"  I  don't  feel  much  like  dinner." 

"I  do." 

"  What  is  to  be  done  next  ?  " 

"  We  must  get  her  up  a  little  farther  out  of  the 
water.  We  can  easily  get  some  more  casks  under 
her  now  ;  but  let  us  have  some  dinner  first." 

They  sat  down  on  a  timber  on  the  raft,  and  ate 
the  dinner  they  had  brought  with  them.  They  could 
not  keep  their  eyes  off  the  steamer  during  the  meal. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF     LAKE    CHAMPLAIN".    143 

and  they  continued  to  discuss  the  means  of  complet 
ing  the  work  they  had  begun. 

After  dinner  the  labor  was  renewed  with  redoubled 
energy.  Four  more  casks  were  attached  to  the  bow, 
and  four  removed  from  the  stern ;  the  effect  of  which 
was  to  lift  the  bow  out  of  water,  while  the  deck  at 
the  after  part  was  again  submerged.  This  was  Law- 
ry's  plan  for  ascertaining  the  extent  of  the  injury 
which  the  hull  had  received.  It  now  appeared  that, 
when  the  Woodville  struck  the  Goblins,  she  had  slid 
up  on  a  flat  rock,  while  a  sharp  projection  from  the 
reef  had  stove  a  hole,  not  quite  three  feet  in  diam 
eter,  just  above  her  keel. 

"  Now  we  must  stop  this  hole,"  said  Lawry  ;  "  and 
we  may  as  well  do  it  here  as  anywhere." 

"  That's  just  my  idea,"  responded  Ethan.  "There's 
a  painted  floor-cloth  in  the  kitchen,  which  will  just 
cover  it.  I  will  get  it." 

"  Have  you  any  small  nails  on  board  ? " 

"  Plenty  of  them." 

The  kitchen  and  the  engineer's  store-room  were 
now  out  of  water,  so  that  Ethan  had  no  difficulty  in 
procuring  the  articles  needed  in  stopping  up  the  hole. 


144  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

A  couple  of  slats  were  placed  over  the  aperture  to 
prevent  the  floor-cloth  from  being  forced  in  by  the 
pressure  of  the  water.  Both  of  the  boys  then  went 
to  work  nailing  on  the  carpet,  which  was  new  and 
very  heavy.  The  nails  were  put  very  close  together, 
and  most  of  them  being  carpet  tacks,  with  broad 
heads,  they  pressed  the  oil-cloth  closely  down  to  the 
woodwork.  It  was  not  expected  entirely  to  exclude 
the  water  ;  but  the  leakage  could  be  easily  controlled 
by  the  pumps. 

Several  of  the  casks  were  now  removed  from  the 
bow  to  the  stern,  until  the  hull  sat  even  on  the 
water.  All  the  heavy  articles  on  deck,  including 
the  contents  of  the  "  chain  box,"  were  transferred 
to  the  raft,  and  the  laborers  were  ready  to  commence 
the  long  and  trying  operation  of  pumping  her  out. 
It  was  now  six  o'clock,  and  it  was  plain  that  this 
job  could  not  be  finished  that  night.  The  wind  was 
beginning  to  freshen,  and  there  were  indications  of 
bad  weather.  Lawry  had  at  first  intended  to  move 
the  Woodville  up  to  the  ferry-landing  as  soon  as  she 
floated;  but  Ethan,  for  certain  reasons,  which  w^ere 
satisfactory  to  his  fellow-laborer,  wished  to  pump 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     145 

her  out  where  she  was  ;  and  it  was  found  to  be  a 
very  difficult  thing  to  tow  her  up  to  the  ferry,  in  her 
water-logged  condition. 

It  was  not  safe  to  leave  her,  with  the  prospect 
of  a  heavy  blow,  so  near  the  Goblins,  and  they 
carried  out  the  anchors  in  the  wherry,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  the  capstan  on  the  forward  deck,  heaved 
her  out  into  a  secure  position.  The  Woodville  was 
safe  for  the  night,  and  the  supper  horn  was  sounding 
at  the  ferry-house.  Nearly  exhausted  by  their  severe 
exertions,  the  boys  returned  to  the  cottage. 

"  I'm  so  glad  that  you  have  done  it !  "  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Wilford,  when  they  went  in  to  supper. 

She  had  been  a  deeply  interested  observer  of  the 
operations  of  the  young  engineers,  and  her  heart  had 
bounded  with  emotions  of  joy,  in  unison  with  theirs, 
when  she  saw  the  steamer  rise  to  the  surface  of 
the  lake. 

"  I  knew  we  should  do  it,  mother,"  replied  Lawry. 
"  Where  is  Ben  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  where  he  is.  He  went  away  just 
after  dinner,  and  I  haven't  seen  him  since,"  added 
the  mother,  a  shade  of  anxiety  passing  over  her  face. 
13 


146  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  But  I  saw  the  ferry-boat  go  over  in  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon." 

"  I  know  you  did." 

"  But  who  went  over  with  her  ? " 

"  I  did,"  answered  Mrs.  Wilford,   quietly. 

"You,  mother?" 

"  Yes,  Lawry  ;  there  was  no  one  else  to  go,  unless 
I  called  you,  and  I  couldn't  bear  to  take  you  away 
from  your  work.  I've  been  over  in  the  ferry  times 
enough  to  know  how  to  manage  the  boat." 

"  Ben  said  he  would  take  care  of  the  ferry." 

"  He  doesn't  always  do  as  he  promises,"  said  Mrs. 
Wilford,  sadly. 

Lawry  thought  it  was  very  kind  of  his  mother  to 
run  the  ferry-boat,  rather  than  disturb  him  at  his 
work ;  but  he  did  not  like  to  have  her  do  such  labor. 
When  he  went  out  after  supper,  he  found  the  wind 
was  still  quite  fresh,  and  he  was  afraid  that  some  acci 
dent  might  happen  to  the  steamer  in  the  night.  If 
the  casks  got  loose  she  would  sink  again.  While 
he  and  Ethan  were  talking  about  it,  Ben  Wilford 
returned  home  ;  and  it  was  evident  from  •  his  looks 
and  actions  that  he  had  been  drinking  too  much. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        147 


CHAPTER     XI. 

MB.    SHERWOOD    AND    PARTY. 

• 

"  WELL,  Lawry,  I  don't  see  the  steamer  at  the 
ferry-landing,"  said  Ben  Wilford,  with  a  coarse,  half- 
tipsy  chuckle,  as  he  came  up  to  the  spot  where  the 
young  engineers  were  discussing  their  plans.  "  You 
know  you  promised  to  have  her  up  here  to-night ; 
but  I  knew  you  wouldn't." 

"  We  thought  we  wouldn't  bring  her  up  to-night," 
replied  Lawry,  coldly,  and  not  a  little  mortified  to 
have  his  friend  see  his  brother  intoxicated. 

"  I  knew  you  wouldn't,  my  boy.  You  didn't  keep 
your  promise." 

"  And  you  didn't  keep  yours." 

"  I  didn't  make  any.  If  I'd  promised  to  fetch  that 
steamer  up,  she'd  been  here." 

"  You  promised  to  run  the  ferry,  and  you  left  it." 

"  No,  I  didn't,  Lawry.     Don't  you  talk  so  to  me. 


148  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

You  know  too  much,"  added  Ben,  angrily.  "  You 
never  will  raise  that  steamer  in  two  thousand  years." 

"  There  she  is,"  replied  Lawry,  quietly,  as  he 
pointed  in  the  direction  of  the  Goblins. 

Ben  looked  at  her  ;  he  did  not  seem  to  be  pleased 
to  find  her  on  the  top  of  the  water.  His  oft-repeated 
prophecy  had  been  a  failure,  and  Lawry  was  full  as 
smart  as  people  said  he  was. 

"  Humph  !  "  said  he.  "  She  isn't  much  of  a 
steamboat  if  those  barrels  brought  her  up." 

"  There  she  is  ;  and  I  have  done  all  I  promised 
to  do." 

"What  you   going  to  do  next,  Lawry?" 

"  I'm  going  to  pump   her  out  next." 

"  You'd  better  do  it  pretty  quick,  or  she'll  go  to 
the  bottom  again,"  added  Ben,  as  he  walked  into  the 
house. 

"  There  comes  Mr.  Sherwood,  with  the  ladies," 
said  Lawry,  as  he  glanced  up  the  road,  when  Ins 
brother  had  gone ;  and  his  brown  face  glowed  with 
pleasure  as  he  spoke. 

"  I  congratulate  you,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Sherwood,  as 
he  grasped  Lawry's  hand.  "We  gn\e  three  cheers  for 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.      149 

you  on  the  hill,  when  we  saw  that  you  had  raised  the 
Woodville." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  We  worked  pretty  hard,  but 
we  were  successful." 

"  You  have  done  bravely,"  said  Mrs.  Sherwood. 
"  We  thought,  from  what  your  brother  said  last 
night,  that  you  would  fail." 

"  Ethan  and  I  didn't  think  so." 

"  I  suppose  you  wouldn't  sell  very  cheap  to-night, 
Lawry,"  added  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  No,  sir ;  the  Woodville  is  a  gift,  and  I  should  not 
be  willing  to  sell  her  at  any  price." 

"  Well,  Lawry,  I  am  as  glad  as  you  are  at  your 
success.  Do  you  want  any  help  yet  ?  " 

"  No,  sir  ;  we  are  just  going  on  board  of  her  to 
stay  over  night,  for  we  are  afraid  the  heavy  wind  will 
do  mischief." 

"  I  wouldn't  do  that.     You  must  rest  to-night." 

"  I'm  afraid  something  will  happen  if  we  don't  look 
out  for  her." 

"  Are  you  going  to  pump  her  out  to-night  ?  " 

"  We  may  begin  pretty  early  in  the  morning,"  said 
Lawry,  with  a  smile. 
13* 


150  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OE 

"  Haste  and  waste,  my  boy.  If  you  stay  on  board 
of  her  to-night,  and  get  sick,  you  will  not  make  any 
thing  by  your  labor." 

"  If  the  wind  goes  down  we  shall  sleep  ashore  as 
usual.  I  don't  think  it  blows  quite  so  hard  as  it  did." 

"I  don't,"   added  Ethan. 

"  Boys,  you  musn't  overdo  this  thing,"  added  Mr. 
Sherwood,  seriously. 

His  wife  whispered  to  him  just  then. 

"  Yes,  Bertha,"  he  continued.  "  I'll  tell  you  what 
I'm  going  to  do,  Lawry.  I  have  four  men  at  work 
for  me.  I  can  spare  them  one  day,  and  they  shall 
pump  out  the  Woodville  for  you." 

"You  needn't  object,"   interposed  Mrs.  Sherwood. 

"  Indeed  you  must  not,  Lawry,"  added  Miss 
Fanny.  "  I  am  afraid  you  will  both  be  sick  if 
you  work  so  hard." 

"  We  can  easily  pump  her  out  ourselves,"  said 
Ethan. 

"  You  needn't  say  a  word,  Ethan,"  added  Fanny 
Jane. 

"  I  suppose  we  shall  have  to  submit,"  replied 
Lawry,  laughing.  "  We  can't  oppose  the  ladies." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.    151 

"  Just  as  you  say,  Lawry,"  said  Ethan. 

"  You  shall  have  the  men  to-morrow,  boys.  Now 
you  must  go  to  bed,  and  not  think  of  the  steamer  till 
morning,"  continued  Mr.  Sherwood,  as  his  party  left 
the  ferry  landing. 

As  the  wind  seemed  to  be  subsiding,  the  boys  went 
into  the  house  ;  and  though  it  was  not  quite  dark, 
they  "  turned  in,"  tired  enough  to  sleep  without  rock 
ing.  Ben  was  at  his  supper,  in  no  pleasant  frame  of 
mind.  He  was  dissatisfied  with  himself,  and  with 
his  brother,  who  had  succeeded  in  his  undertaking 
contrary  to  his  prophecy.  He  was  envious  and 
jealous  of  Lawry.  Now  that  his  father  was  away, 
he  thought  he  ought  to  be  the  chief  person  about  the 
house,  being  the  oldest  boy. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  stay  at  home,  and  be  a  nobody," 
said  he,  angrily. 

"  We  don't  wish  you  to  be  a  nobody,"  replied  his 
mother. 

"  Yes,  you  do ;  Lawry  is  everybody,  and  I'm 
nobody." 

"  You've  been  drinking,  Benjamin." 

"  What  if  I  have  !  I'm  not  going  to  stay  here, 
and  play  second  fiddle  to  a  little  boy." 


152  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  What  are  you  talking  about,  Benjamin  ?  Lawry 
has  not  interfered  with  you.  He  will  treat  you  kindly 
and  respectfully,  as  he  treats  everybody." 

"  He  don't  mind  any  more  what  I  say  than  he  does 
the  grunting  of  the  pigs." 

"  What  do  you  want  him  to  do  ? " 

"  I  want  him  to  pay  some  attention  to  what  I  say," 
snarled  Ben,  as  he  got  up  from  the  table,  and  threw 
his  chair  back  against  the  wall.  '-  I  suppose  he 
thinks  that  steamboat  belongs  to  him." 

"  Certainly  he  does,"  replied  Mrs.  Wilford,  aston 
ished  at  this  remark. 

"  I  don't." 

"  Don't  you  ?     Whom  does  it  belong  to,  then  ?  " 

"I'm  not  a  fool,  mother ;  I  know  a  thing  or 
two  as  well  as  some  others.  Lawry  is  not  of 
age." 

"  Neither  are  you." 

"  I  know  that,  but  I'm  older  than  he  is." 

"  You  are   old  enough  to   behave  better." 

"  How  do  you  expect  me  to  be  anybody  here, 
when  I  have  to  knock  under  to  my  younger  brother  ? 
I  say  the  steamer  don't  belong  to  Lawry  any  more 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.      153 

than  she  does  to  me.  I  have  just  as  much  right  in 
her  as  he  has." 

"  "What  do  you  mean  by  talking  so,  Benjamin  ? 
You  know  that  Mr.  Sherwood  gave  the  steamer  to 
Lawry,  and  the  bill  of  sale  is  in  Lawry's  name." 

"  I  don't  care  for  that ;  she's  just  as  much  mine  as 
she  is  his,  and  he'll  find  that  out  when  she  gets  to 
running.  Lawry's  a  minor,  and  can't  hold  any  prop 
erty  ;  you  know  that  just  as  well  as  I  do." 

"  What  if  he  is  ?  I  think  he  will  be  permitted  to 
hold  the  steamboat,  and  run  her." 

"  I  don't  think  so.  I  was  talking  with  Taylor, 
who  holds  the  mortgage  on  this  place,  and  he  don't 
think  so,"  added  Ben,  in  a  tone  of  triumph. 

"What  did  he   say?" 

"  Well,  he  means  to  attach  the  steamboat  on  the 
note  he  holds  against  father." 

"  He  will  not  do  that !  "  replied  Mrs.  Wilford, 
alarmed  at  the  suggestion. 

"  He  says  so,  anyhow." 

"  He  will  foreclose  the  mortgage  on  the  place  if 
he  wants  to  get  his  money." 

"  The  place  will   not  sell  for  enough  to  pay  his 


154  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

note,  and  he  knows  it.  Xo  matter  about  him,  —  the 
steamboat  belongs  to  father,  just  as  much  as  the 
ferry-boat  does ;  and  I  think  I  ought  to  have  some 
thing  to  say  about  her." 

"  If  you  want  to  do  anything  for  the  family,  why 
can't  you  run  the  ferry-boat,  Benjamin  ?  " 

"  And  let  Lawry  run  the  steamboat  ?  Not  if  I 
know  myself!  "  replied  Ben,  with  savage  emphasis. 
"  He  may  run  the  ferry-boat,  and  I'll  run  the 
steamer." 

"  That  would  be  neither  fair  nor  right.  The 
steamer  belongs  to  Lawry,  and  I  will  never  consent 
that  he  shall  be  turned  out  of  her." 

"  I  don't  want  to  turn  him  out  of  her.  I'll  take 
charge  of  her,  and  he  may  go  pilot ;  that's  all  he's 
good  for." 

."You  mean  that  you'll  be  captain?" 

"  That's  what  I  mean." 

"  I  don't  think  Lawry  will  want  any  one  to  be 
captain  over  him." 

"If  I  don't  run  that  steamer,  nobody  shall  ! " 
said  Ben,  angrily,  as  he  rose  and  left  the  house. 

It   is   impossible    to    tell  what    a  man    under    the 


THE    YOITNG   PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       155 

influence  of  liquor -will  do,  and  Mrs.  Wilford  was 
afraid  that  her  dissolute  son  intended  to  do  some 
mischief.  She  followed  him  out  the  door,  and  saw 
him  go  up  the  road  towards  the  village.  He  had 
probably  gone  after  more  liquor,  and,  unpleasant  as 
this  thought  was  to  his  mother,  it  was  a  relief  to 
her  to  find  that  he  did  not  go  off  to  the  steamer. 
She  returned  to  the  house,  and  washed  her  dishes ; 
but  she  could  not  get  rid  of  the  fear  that  Ben, 
whose  envy  and  jealousy  had  been  intensified  by 
the  fiery  liquors  he  had  drank,  intended  to  cut  loose 
the  casks  that  buoyed  up  the  Woodville,  and  let 
her  go  to  the  bottom  again.  His  threat  implied 
something  as  bad  as  this. 

If  Lawry  rose  in  the  morning  and  found  his 
steamer  sunk,  it  would  break  his  heart,  after  he 
had  worked  so  hard  to  accomplish  the  result  al 
ready  obtained.  Mrs.  Wilford  was  determined  that 
no  harm  should  come  to  the  Woodville  while  Lawry 
slept.  She  left  the  house,  and  walked  down  to  the 
ferry  landing  to  assure  herself  that  both  of  the  boats 
were  in  their  places.  The  wherry  and  the  bateau 
were  just  as  the  boys  had  left  them.  As  the  anx- 


156  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

ious  mother  was  returning  to  the  house,  she  heard 
the  tramp  of  many  feet  in  the  road  above  the  cot 
tage.  It  was  a  time  of  war ;  and  the  sound  sug 
gested  an  armed  host.  But  Mrs.  Wilford  was  not 
alarmed ;  and  she  soon  discovered,  in  the  darkness, 
a  squad  of  about  twenty  men,  who  had  halted  just 
above  the  house. 

"  Good  evening,  Mrs.  Wilford,"  said  Mr.  Sher 
wood,  who  seemed  to  be  in  command  of  the  de- 
jachment. 

"  Are  you  going  to  the  war,  sir  ? "  asked  Mrs. 
Wilford,  when  she  had  returned  the  salutation  of 
her  wealthy  neighbor. 

"  Not  exactly.     Has  Lawry  gone  to  bed  ?  " 

"  Yes,  an  hour  ago." 

"Is  he  asleep  ?" 

"  I  suppose  he  is ;  he  was  tired  enough  to  go  to 
sleep  as  soon  as  he  struck  the  bed." 

"All  right,  then." 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  going  to  do  with 
such  a  crowd  of  men,  Mr.  Sherwood  ?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  help  the  boys  finish  their  job. 
I'm  afraid  they  are  working  too  hard  for  their  own 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN         157 

good.  Ethan  told  me  they  had  stopped  the  leak, 
and  it  only  remained  to  pump  out  the  steamer.  I 
am  going  to  do  this  job  ;  and  I  have  men  enough 
to  finish  it  in  a  couple  of  hours." 

"  I  should  think  you  had,"  added  Mrs.  Wilford, 
as  she  glanced  at  the  squad  of  laborers. 

"  I  have  gathered  together  all  the  men  I  could  find. 
Don't  say  a  word  to  the  boys,  if  you  please.  I 
intend  to  surprise  them.  They  will  find  the  steamer 
free  of  water  in  the  morning."  * 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Mr.  Sherwood,  to  take  so 
much  trouble." 

"  The  boys  have  worked  so  well  that  they  deserve 
encouragement.  May  I  take  the  ferry-boat  to  con 
vey  my  men  up  to  the  steamer  ? " 

"  Certainly,  sir." 

"  Please  not  say  a  word  to  the  boys." 

*'  I  will  not,  sir.  They  will  sleep  like  logs  till 
morning,  and  not  know  a  word  about  it." 

Mr.  Sherwood  marched  his  company  down  to  the 

ferry-boat.     They  were  armed  with  buckets ;  and  they 

had  so  many  that  the  neighborhood  must  have  been 

laid  under  contribution  to  supply  them.     The  men 

14 


158  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

embarked,  and  the  sail  was  hoisted  under  the  di 
rection  of  Mr.  Sherwood.  Though  the  wind  had 
subsided,  there  was  still  breeze  enough  to  carry  the 
bateau  rapidly  to  her  destination.  Several  lanterns 
brought  by  the  battalion  of  balers  were  lighted,  and 
the  work  was  promptly  commenced.  The  leader  of 
the  humane  enterprise  was  of  course  perfectly  familiar 
with  the  steamer.  He  stationed  two  men  at  the 
pumps,  and  formed  three  lines  of  balers,  the  first  at 
the  fore  hatch,  the  second  at  the  fire-room,  and  the 
third  at  the  companion-way  leading  into  the  cabin. 

Mr.  Sherwood  encouraged  the  men  to  work  well 
by  the  promise  of  extra  pay ;  and  the  laborers 
seemed  to  regard  the  occasion  as  a  grand  frolic. 
They  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost,  and  the 
buckets  flew  along  the  lines,  while  the  pumps  rolled 
out  the  water  in  a  continuous  flow.  As  the  steamer, 
relieved  of  the  weight  that  pressed  her  down,  rose 
on  the  surface  of  the  lake,  it  was  only  necessary  to 
lift  the  water  from  below  and  pour  it  upon  the 
deck,  from  which  it  would  run  off  itself. 

The  job  did  not  last  long  before  such  a  strong 
force ;  and  in  two  hours  the  work  of  the  balers 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        159 

•was  done,  the  water  inside  having  fallen  below  the 
cabin  floor.  Then  the  men  changed  hands  at  the 
pumps  every  ten  minutes,  working  them  so  rapidly 
that  the  water  was  soon  exhausted  from  the  well. 
Ethan  had  fully  described  the  method  by  which  the 
hole  in  the  hull  of  the  Woodville  had  been  stopped ; 
but  Mr.  Sherwood  had  some  doubts  in  regard  to  the 
strength  of  the  material,  and  he  went  below  to 
examine  the  place.  Lawry  and  his  fellow-laborer 
had  had  no  opportunity  to  test  the  strength  and 
fitness  of  the  work  they  had  done,  while  the  boat 
was  full  of  water. 

On  examination,  Mr.  Sherwood  found  several  small 
jets  of  water  streaming  through  the  seams  between 
the  planks,  outside  of  the  canvas  carpet,  which  he 
stopped  with  packing  from  the  engineer's  store-room. 
The  braces  which  the  boys  had  put  over  the  hole 
kept  the  oil-cloth  in  position,  and  when  the  packing 
had  been  driven  into  the  open  seams  with  a  chisel 
and  mallet,  hardly  any  water  came  in  around  the 
aperture.  The  boys  were  warmly  commended  by 
their  partial  friend  for  the  skill  they  had  displayed 
in  stopping  the  leak  ;  and  some  of  the  men,  who 


160  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

were  familiar  with  vessels,  agreed  that  the  steamer 
would  not  leak  ten  strokes  an  hour. 

It  was  therefore  safe  to  leave  her ;  and  Mr.  Sher 
wood  was  satisfied  that  the  boys  would  not  find  the 
water  up  to  the  bottom  of  the  cabin  floor  in  the 
morning.  He  carefully  examined  every  part  of  the 
steamer,  assisted  by  the  experienced  men  of  his 
party,  to  assure  himself  that  everything  was  right 
before  he  left  her.  The  pumps  were  tried  again, 
just  before  they  embarked  for  home,  but  they  yielded 
only  a  few  strokes  of  water. 

The  party  returned  to  the  landing,  and  Mr.  Sher 
wood  cautioned  the  men  not  to  make  any  noise  as 
they  passed  the  cottage,  fearful  that  the  boys  might 
be  awakened,  and  the  delightful  surprise  in  store 
for  them  spoiled.  But  Lawry  and  Ethan,  worn  out 
by  the  fatigue  and  excitement  of  the  day,  slept  like 
logs,  and  the  discharge  of  a  battery  of  artillery 
under  their  chamber  window  would  hardly  have 
aroused  them  from  their  slumbers.  The  men  went 
to  their  several  homes,  and  all  was  quiet  at  the 
ferry. 

A  single  stroke   of  the   old  clock  in   the    kitchen 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        161 

of  the  cottage  announced  the  hour,  to  those  who 
were  wakeful  enough  to  hear  it,  when  Benjamin 
Wilford  came  down  the  road.  He  had  been  at  a 
low  groggery  in  the  village,  nursing  his  wrath  and 
jealousy  with  the  vilest  of  liquors.  For  a  young 
man  of  eighteen,  he  had  a  strong  head,  so  far  as  the 
influence  of  whiskey  was  concerned,  for  though  he 
had  drank  a  great  deal,  he  was  far  from  overcome. 
The  villanous  stuff  made  a  demon  of  him,  and  he 
could  only  think  of  his  brother  in  command  of  the 
magnificent  little  steamer,  while  he,  older  and  more 
experienced  than  Lawry,  was  only  a  cipher.  The 
thought  maddened  him  ;  and  when  he  reached  the 
ferry-house,  he  sat  down  on  a  rock,  and  actually 
cried  with  anger  and  vexation. 

"  I  won't  stand  it,"  whined  he,  when  he  had  wept 
a  while.  "  If  I  don't  run  that  steamboat,  nobody 
shall." 

He  rose,  staggered  down  to  the  landing,  and  got 
into  the  wherry. 

U* 


162  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 


CHAPTER     XII. 

FROM    DESPONDENCY    TO    REJOICIXG. 

BEN  WILFORD  was  too  much  intoxicated  fully  to 
realize  what  lie  was  doing.  He  was  still  whining 
and  crying  when  he  got  into  the  boat,  feeling  that 
he  had  been  abused  and  outraged.  He  was  so  ac 
customed  to  a  boat,  that  he  had  no  difficulty  in  row 
ing  up  to  the  Woodville.  If  he  had  been  sober,  he 
would  have  seen  that  she  now  stood  too  far  out  of 
the  water  to  be  dependent  upon  the  casks  alone  for 
her  buoyancy  ;  but  lie  did  not  see  this  ;  and  he  did 
not  even  know  that  the  leak  in  the  bow  had  been 
stopped. 

With  some  difficulty  he  made  his  way  to  the  deck 
of  the  steamer,  and  in  the  darkness  stumbled  against 
the  cables,  with  which  the  boat  was  anchored.  He 
was  bent  on  mischief,  and  he  unstoppered  the  cables, 
permitting  them  to  run  out  and  sink  to  the  bottom 


THE    YOUNG     PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIJf.       163 

of  the  lake.  The  wind  was  blowing,  still  pretty 
fresh,  from  the  west,  and  the  steamer,  now  loosened 
from  her  moorings,  began  to  drift  towards  the  middle 
of  the  lake. 

"  They'll  find  I'm  not  a  nobody,"  whined  he,  con 
tinuing  to  cry  like  a  baby  in  his  maudlin  desperation. 
"  She'll  go  down  in  the  deep  water  this  time." 

The  drunken  villain  then  stumbled  about  the  deck 
till  he  found  the  lines  which  kept  the  hogsheads 
in  place  under  the  guards.  Groaning,  crying,  and 
swearing,  he  untied  and  threw  the  ropes  overboard. 
Some  of  the  casks,  relieved  of  the  pressure  on  them 
by  the  removal  5f  the  water  from  the  interior  of  the 
hull,  came  out  from  their  places  and  floated  off.  Ben 
rolled  into  the  wrherry  again,  and  with  the  boat-hook 
hauled  the  others  out.  Satisfied  that  he  had  done 
his  work,  and  that  the  Woodville  would  soon  go 
down  in  the  middle  of  the  lake,  where  the  water  was 
a  hundred  feet  deep,  he  pulled  as  rapidly  as  his 
intoxicated  condition  would  permit  towards  the  ferry 
landing. 

"  They'll  find  I'm  not  a  nobody,"  he  repeated,  as 
he  rowed  to  the  shore.  "  They  can't  raise  her  now  ; 
and  they'll  never  see  her  again." 


164  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

Intoxicated  as  he  was,  he  had  not  lost  his  sense 
of  caution.  He  knew  that  he  had  done  a  mean  and 
wicked  action,  which  it  might  be  necessary  for  him 
to  conceal.  As  he  approached  the  landing,  he  wiped 
his  eyes,  and  choked  down  the  emotions  that  agitated 
him.  He  tried  to  make  no  noise,  but  his  movements 
were  very  uncertain  ;  he  tumbled  over  the  thwarts, 
and  rattled  the  oars,  so  that,  if  those  in  the  cottage 
had  not  slept  like  rocks,  they  must  have  heard  him. 
He  reeled  up  to  the  house,  took  off  his  shoes,  and 
crept  up  stairs  to  his  room.  He  made  noise  enough 
to  wake  his  mother  ;  but  Lawry  and  Ethan  were  not 
disturbed,  though  Ben's  bed  was  hi  the  room  with 
them. 

The  wretch  had  accomplished  his  work.  He  was 
satisfied,  as  he  laid  his  boozy  head  upon  the  pillow, 
that  the  Woodville  was  even  then  at  the  bottom  of 
the  lake,  with  a  hundred  feet  of  water  rolling  over 
her.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  but  the  vile 
tipple  he  had  drank,  and  the  deed  he  had  done,  so 
excited  him  that  he  could  not  sleep.  He  tossed  on 
his  bed  till  the  day  dawned,  and  the  blessed  light 
streamed  in  at  the  window  of  the  attic. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     165 

"  Four  o'clock  ! "  shouted  Lawry,  springing  from 
his  bed,  as  the  timepiece  in  the  kitchen  struck  the 
hour.  "  All  hands  ahoy,  Ethan  !  " 

His  enthusiastic  fellow-laborer  needed  no  second 
call,  and  leaped  out  of  bed.  Ben  was  still  awake, 
and  the  lapse  of  the  hours  had  in  some  measure 
sobered  him. 

"  It's  a  fine  day,  Ethan,"  said  Lawry,  as  he 
glanced  out  at  the  window. 

"  Glad  of  that.  How  long  do  you  suppose  it  will 
take  us  to  pump  her  out  ?  " 

"  All  day,  I  think  ;  but  we  are  to  have  four  men 
to  help  us.  I  was  considering  that  matter  when  I 
went  to  sleep  last  night,"  replied  Lawry.  "  I  was 
thinking  whether  we  could  not  rig  a  barrel  under  a 
derrick,  so  as  to  get  along  a  little  faster  than  the 
pumps  will  do  it." 

"  Perhaps  we  can  ;  we  will  see." 

"  Where  is  your  steamer  ? "  asked  Ben,  rising  up 
in  the  bed. 

"We  anchored  her  near  the  Goblins,"  replied 
Lawry. 

"  She  isn't  there  now,"  added  Ben,  who  could  not 
postpone  his  revenge. 


166  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  "  demanded  the  pilot,  star 
tled  by  the  assertion. 

"  I've  been  sick,  and  couldn't  sleep  ;  so  I  got  up 
and  went  out  doors.  She  isn't  where  you  left  her, 
and  I  couldn't  see  anything  of  her  anywhere." 

"  Couldn't  see  her !  "  exclaimed  Ethan,  aghast  at 
the  intelligence. 

"  I  knew  very  well  she  wouldn't  stay  on  top  of 
the  water.  Casks  wouldn't  keep  her  up,"  said  Ben, 
maliciously. 

Lawry  rushed  out  of  the  room  to  the  other  end  of 
the  house,  the  attic  window  of  which  commanded  a 
full  view  of  the  lake.  As  his  brother  had  declared, 
the  Woodville  was  not  at  her  anchorago  where  they 
had  left  her  ;  neither  was  she  to  be  seen,  whichever 
•way  he  looked. 

"  She  is  gone  ! "  cried  he,  returning*  to  his  chamber. 

"  Of  course  she  is  gone,"  added  Ben. 

"  I  don't  understand  it." 

"  She  has  gone  to  the  bottom,  of  course,  where  I 
told  you  she  would  go.  You  were  a  fool  to  leave 
her  out  there  in  the  deep  water.  She  has  gone  down 
where  you  will  never  see  her  again." 


THE    VoUNG     PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLA.IN.       167 

"  It  was  impossible  for  her  to  sink  with  all  those 
casks  under  her  guards,"  said  Ethan. 

"  I  guess  you  will  find  she  has  sunk.  I  told  you 
she  would.  If  you  had  only  minded  what  I  told 
you,  she  would  have  been  all  right,  Lawry." 

Both  of  the  boys  seemed  to  be  paralyzed  at  the 
discovery,  and  made  no  reply  to  Ben.  They  could 
not  realize  that  all  the  hard  labor  they  had  performed 
was  lost.  It  was  hard  and  cruel,  and  each  reproached 
himself  because  they  had  not  passed  the  night  on 
board  of  the  steamer,  as  they  had  purposed  to  do. 

"  Well,  it's  no  use  to  stand  here  like  logs,"  said 
Lawry.  "If  she  has  sunk,  we  will  find  out  where 
she  is." 

"  I  reckon  you'll  never  see  her  again,  Lawry. 
Those  old  casks  leaked,  I  suppose*  and  when  they 
Avere  full  of  water  the  steamer  went  down  again  ;  or 
else  they  broke  loose  from  her  when  the  wind  blew 
so  hard." 

"  It  didn't  blow  much  when  we  went  to  bed. 
What  time  did  you  come  home,  Ben  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  what  time  it  was,"  he  answered, 
evasively. 


168  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Come,  Ethan,  let's  go  and  find  out  what  the  mat 
ter  is,"  continued  La  wry,  as  he  led  the  way  down  stairs. 

Mrs.  Wilford  was  not  up,  but  she  was  awake,  and 
•was  anticipating  with  great  satisfaction  the  pleasure 
of  the  surprise  which  awaited  the  boys,  when  they 
discovered  that  the  steamer  had  been  freed  from 
water.  They  left  the  house,  and  went  down  to  the 
ferry.  The  Woodville  certainly  was  not  where  they 
had  left  her ;  not  even  the  top  of  her  smoke-stack 
could  be  seen  peering  above  the  water  to  inform 
them  that  she  still  existed. 

"  Well,  Lawry,  we  may  as  well  go  out  to  the 
place  where  we  left  her.  If  she  has  sunk,  we  may 
be  able  to  see  her,"  said  Ethan. 

They  got  into  the  boat ;  but  one  of  the  oars 
v\  us  gone.  Ben  had  lost  it  overboard  when  he 
landed,  and  it  had  floated  off.  There  was  another 
pair  in  the  wood-shed  of  the  house,  and  Lawry  went 
up  for  them.  As  he  entered  the  shed,  he  met  his 
mother,  who  had  just  risen,  and  gone  out  for  wood 
to  kindle  the  fire.  The  poor  boy  looked  so  sad  and 
disaonsolate  that  his  long  face  attracted  her  attention. 

et  Wh:  'us  the  matter,  Lawry  ?  "  she  asked. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       169 

"  The  steamer  has  sunk  again,"  replied  the  son, 
almost  choked  with  emotion  as  he  uttered  the  words. 

"  Sunk  again  !  "  exclaimed  his  mother. 

"  She  is  not  to  be  seen,  and  Ben  says  she  has  gone 
down." 

"  Ben  says  so  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  he  told  us  of  it  before  we  came  down. 
We  are  going  to  look  for  her  now,"  answered  Lawry, 
as  he  took  the  oars,  and  left  the  shed. 

What  Lawry  had  said  excited  the  suspicion  of  his 
mother,  as  she  thought  of  the  malicious  words  of  her 
older  son  on  the  preceding  evening.  She  was  excited 
and  indignant ;  she  feared  he  had  executed  the  wicked 
purpose  which  she  was  confident  he  had  cherished. 
She  went  into  the  house,  and  up  stairs  to  the  room 
where  Ben  still  lay  in  bed. 

"  Benjamin,  what  have  you  done  ? "  demanded  she. 

"  I  haven't  done  anything.  I'm  a  nobody  here  !  " 
replied  the  inebriated  young  man,  with  surly  em 
phasis. 

"  What  did   you   mean  last  night  when  you  said 
that  you  should  run  that  steamer,  or  nobody  should?" 
asked  Mrs.  Wilford. 
15 


170  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

"  I  meant  just  what  I  said.  You  and  Lawry  both 
said  I  shouldn't  run  her  —  and  she  has  gone  to  the 
bottom  again ;  she'll  stay  there  this  time." 

"  O,  Benjamin!"  said  his  mother,  bursting  into 
tears.  "  How  could  you  be  so  wicked  ?  " 

"  Did  you  think  I'd  stay  round  here,  and  be  a 
nobody  ?  "  growled  the  wretched  young  man,  whom 
the  effect  of  the  liquor,  now  subsiding,  had  ren- 
•dered  ugly  and  reckless. 

"  Did  you  sink  that  steamer  ?  " 

'  What  if  I  did  ?  " 

"  O,  Benjamin  !  " 

"  You  needn't  cry  about  it.  Next  time,  you'd 
better  not  try  to  make  a  nobody  out  of  me." 

"  Don't  you  think  I've  had  trouble  enough,  with 
out  trying  to  make  more  for  me  ? "  sobbed  the 
distressed  mother. 

"  If  you  had  told  Lawry  to  give  me  the  charge  of 
the  steamer,  he  would  have  done  it,"  whined  Ben. 

"  I  shouldn't  tell  him  any  such  thing !  "  replied 
Mrs.  Wilford,  indignantly.  "  A  pretty  captain  of  a 
steamboat  you  would  make  !  You  are  so  tipsy  now 
ynu  can't  hold  your  head  up  !  " 


THE    YOUXG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.      171 

"  I'm  as  sober  as  you  are." 

Mrs.  Wilford  knew  that  it  was  useless  to  talk  to 
a  person  in  his  condition,  and  she  left  him  to  sleep  off 
the  effect  of  his  cups  if  he  could,  after  the  evil  deed 
he  had  done.  Full  of  sympathy  for  Lawry,  under 
his  great  affliction,  she  left  the  house,  and  hastened 
down  to  the  landing,  to  learn,  if  possible,  the  condi 
tion  of  the  Woodville.  Lawry  and  Ethan  were  in 
the  wherry,  returning  to  the  shore,  when  she  reached 
the  landing. 

"  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  shouted  both  of  the  boys, 
in  unison,  as  Mrs.  Wilford  came  in  sight. 

"  What  now  ?  "  asked  the  anxious  mother,  reas 
sured  by  the  exulting  cries  of  the  boys. 

"  She's  safe,  mother  !  She  has  not  sunk,"  replied 
Lawry,  as  the  wherry  touched  the  shore. 

"  Where  is  she  ?  I  don't  see  her  anywhere," 
added  Mrs.  Wilford,  scanning  the  lake  in  every 
direction. 

"  Over  on  the  other  side,"  replied  Lawry,  pointing 
to  the  locality  to  which  the  Woodville  had  drifted 
after  Ben  had  cast  off  her  cables. 

"  What's  the  reason  she  didn't  sink  ?  "  continued 
his  mother. 


172  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  The  casks  kept  her  up,  of  course.  We  want 
something  for  breakfast  and  for  dinner,  mother,  for 
she  is  so  far  off  we  can't  come  home  till  we  have 
pumped  her  out ;  and  I  won't  leave  her  again  till  I 
am  sure  she's  all  right." 

Mrs.  Wilford  concluded  not  to  tell  Lawry  Avhat  his 
brother  had  attempted  to  do,  as  his  wicked  scheme 
had  evidently  failed  for  some  reason  which  she  did 
not  at  once  comprehend.  She  also  observed  Mr. 
Sherwood's  instruction,  and  did  not  mention  what  he 
had  done  with  his  company  of  laborers.  She  went 
into  the  house,  and  put  up  a  basket  full  of  such 
provision  as  she  had  on  hand,  while  Ethan  and  Lawry 
were  filling  the  wherry  with  dry  wood  and  kindlings, 
with  which  to  start  the  fire  in  the  furnaces  of  the 
Woodville. 

"  What  shall  I  do  about  the  ferry,  mother  ?  "  asked 
Lawry,  as  he  took  the  basket  of  eatables.  "  Will 
Ben  run  the  boat  to-day  ?  " 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself  about  the  ferry,  Lawry. 
If  Benjamin  won't  take  care  of  it,  I  will." 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  do  it,  mother." 

"  I  think  your  brother  will  run  the  boat ;  at  any 
rate,  you  needn't  give  it  a  thought." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     173 

Mrs.  Wilford  was  quite  as  happy  as  the  boys  to 
find  that  the  steamer  was  not  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  again  ;  and  she  returned  to  the  cottage  with  a 
light  heart,  when  she  had  seen  the  wherry  leave  the 
shore. 

From  the  deepest  depths  of  despondency,  if  not 
despair,  the  young  engineers  had  been  raised  to  the 
highest  pinnacle  of  hope  and  joy,  when  the  Woodville 
was  discovered  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  She 
had  drifted  in  behind  a  point  of  land,  and  could  not 
be  seen  from  the  ferry.  They  had  gone  out  to  the 
place  where  she  had  been  anchored,  near  the  Goblins ; 
and  while  they  were  gazing  down  into  the  deep  water 
in  search  of  her,  Ethan  happened  to  raise  his  eyes 
and  saw  her  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  What 
a.  thrill  went  through  his  heart  as  he  recognized  her ! 
A-nd  what  a  thrill  he  communicated  to  Lawry  when 
he  pointed  her  out  to  him  ! 

The  young  pilot  rowed  the  boat  across  the  lake  ; 
and  his  arms  seemed  to  be  nerved  with  unwonted 
vigor.  Never  had  the  wherry  made  a  quicker  passage 
than  on  this  joyous  occasion. 

"  Why,  the  casks  are  all  gone !  "  exclaimed  Ethan, 
15* 


174  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

who  sat  in  the  stern  sheets,  so  that  he  could  see 
objects  ahead. 

"  All  gone  !  "  replied  Lawry,  laying  on  his  oars, 
while  he  turned  to  look  at  her. 

"  She  must  be  aground,"  added  Ethan  ;  "  but  she 
sets  out  of  water  a  great  deal  farther  than  when  we 
left  her  yesterday." 

"  We  shall  soon  find  out  what  the  matter  is,"  con 
tinued  Lawry,  as  he  bent  on  his  oars  again.  "  She  is 
safe,  and  on  the  top  of  the  water ;  that's  enough  for 
me  at  the  present  time." 

A  few  more  strokes  placed  the  wherry  alongside 
the  Woodville.  She  floated  as  gracefully  on  the 
water  as  though  she  had  never  touched  the  bottom 
of  the  lake  and  the  rebellious  water  had  never  visited 
the  inside  of  the  hull.  The  boys  were  perplexed  at 
this  appearance,  and  Lawry  almost  feared  that  some 
one  had  stolen  the  engine  out  of  her,  which  was  the 
only  explanation  he  could  suggest  for  the  fact  that 
she  floated  on  her  water  line.  He  fastened  the 
painter  at  the  gangway,  and  leaped  on  board,  closely 
followed  by  his  companion.  He  rushed  to  the  fore- 
hatch,  and  looked  down  into  the  hold.  There  was  no 
water  to  be  seen  in  her. 


THE    YOUNG     PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        175 

"  What  does  this  mean !  "  he  exclaimed,  turning  in 
blank  amazement  to  Ethan. 

"  I  don't  know.  The  water  couldn't  have  run  out 
of  her  without  some  help,"  replied  Ethan,  as  much 
perplexed  as  his  friend. 

"  I  don't  understand  it,"  added  Lawry,  as  he  went 
aft,  and  looked  down  into  the  fire-room  and  the  cabin. 
"  The  casks  are  all  gone,  and  the  steamer  has  been 
pumped  out.  Somebody  must  have  done  this  work  ; 
it  couldn't  have  done  itself." 

"  That's  true,"  said  Ethan,  as  he  picked  up  a  lan 
tern  which  had  been  accidentally  left  by  one  of  Mr. 
Sherwood's  party.  "  Somebody  has  certainly  been 
here." 

"  There's  no  doubt  of  that ;  but  I  can't  see,  for  the 
life  of  me,  what  they  wanted  to  set  her  adrift  for." 

"  Nor  I ;  they  were  good  friends  to  pump  her  out 
for  us,  whoever  they  were.  In  my  opinion,  Mr.  Sher 
wood  knows  something  about  this  job.  If  I  mistake 
not,  I've  seen  that  lantern  at  his  house." 

"  But  slipping  the  cables  looks  just  as  though  they 
intended  to  have  her  smashed  up  on  the  shore,"  added 
Lawry.  "  The  anchors  are  not  here,  and  of  course 


176  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

they  are  on  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  I  don't  see 
through  this  business." 

"  Nor  I  either  ;  but  one  thing  we  can  see  through : 
the  steamer  is  safe,  with  the  water  all  pumped  out  of 
her.  We  may  as  well  go  to  work,  and  get  her  over 
to  the  ferry." 

This  was  good  counsel,  and  without  losing  any 
more  time  in  attempts  to  fathom  what  was  dark  and 
strange,  they  commenced  the  labors  of  the  day. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        177 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

GETTING     UP     STEAM. 

A  SUKVEY  of  the  position  of  the  Woodville 
showed  that  she  was  slightly  aground  at  the  stern ; 
but  Ethan  was  confident  that  a  few  turns  of  the 
wheels  would  bring  her  off.  The  boys  then  tried 
the  pumps  ;  but  after  less  than  a  hundred  strokes 
they  refused  to  yield  any  more  water.  They  then 
carefully  examined  every  part  of  the  interior  below 
the  decks. 

"  She's  all  right,"  said  Lawry,  who  was  in  a  state 
of  hopeful  excitement  which  made  his  step  quick, 
and  his  speech  rapid.  "  What  shall  we  do  now  ?  " 

"  Get  up  steam,"  replied  Ethan.  "  I  have  a  couple 
of  hours'  work  to  do  on  the  engine ;  but  we  will 
start  the  furnaces  at  once." 

"  Can't  I  make  the  fire  ?  "   asked  Lawry. 

"Yes,  if  you  know  hmv  " 


178  HASTE     AND     AVAST  K,     OR 

"  You  can  show  me.  I  don't  know  much  about 
steam  boilers  and  engines." 

"  We  will  get  our  dry  wood  out  of  the  wherry, 
and  I  will  help  you  start  the  fire.  While  I  am  at 
work  on  the  engine,  you  will  have  to  overhaul  your 
steering  gear,  and  see  that  it  is  all  right.  The 
chains  and  pulleys  will  need  to  be  oiled.'' 

La\vry  got  into  the  wherry,  and  threw  the  dry 
wood  on  deck.  Ethan  had  not  expected  to  kindle 
the  fires  till  night,  when  he  hoped  the  water  would 
be  below  the  furnaces.  It  was  a  grateful  surprise 
to  be  able  at  once  to  go  to  work  on  the  engine. 
He  was  enthusiastic  in  his  fondness  for  machinery, 
and  that  of  the  Woodville  was  his  particular  pet. 
He  was  even  so  absurd  as  to  call  it  "  his  dear,''  and 
no  boy  was  ever  more  devoted  to  his  dog  or  his 
pony  than  Ethan  was  to  the  beautiful  little  engine 
of  the  steamer. 

After  he  had  tried  the  valves  on  the  boiler,  and 
assured  himself  that  it  contained  the  proper  supply 
of  water,  the  fires  were  started  in  the  furnaces. 
There  was  plenty  of  wood  and  coal  on  board,  though 
the  former  was  so  wet  that  it  would  not  burn  Avith- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.         179 

out  some  assistance,  which  was  furnished  by  the  dry 
fuel  brought  off  in  the  wherry.  In  a  little  while 
the  furnaces  were  roaring  with  the  blaze  from  the 
Avood,  and  the  coal  was  shovelled  in.  Ethan,  hav 
ing  dried  a  quantity  of  the  wet  packing,  commenced 
rubbing  down  and  oiling  the  machinery.  He  was 
in  his  element  now,  and  never  was  a  young  man  in 
a  higher  state  of  keen  enjoyment. 

While  he  was  thus  engaged,  Lawry  overhauled 
the  steering  apparatus,  rubbed  down  the  wheel, 
oiled  the  pulleys,  and  satisfied  himself  that  every 
thing  was  in  working  order.  The  situation  and  the 
work  were  in  the  highest  degree  exhilarating.  It 
was  not  labor  to  clean  and  adjust  the  gear  ;  it  was 
a  pleasure  such  as  he  had  never  realized  from  the 
most  exciting  sports.  He  could  hardly  repress  the 
rapture  he  felt  when  he  saw  the  black  smoke  from 
the  pine  wood  pouring  out  of  the  smoke-stack. 

"  This  is  my  steamer,"  saLl  he  to  himself.  "  I 
am  the  owner  of  her." 

The  thought  made  him  laugh  with  joy.  He  stood 
up  at  the  wheel,  and  though  he  could  not  turn  it, 
because  the  rudder  was  fast  in  the  sand,  he  knew 


180  HASTE    AND    AVASXE,    OR 

exactly  ho\v  he  should  feel  when  he  stood  in  this 
position  with  the  Woodville  gliding  swiftly  over  the 
bright  waters  of  the  lake. 

The  steering  gear  was  in  perfect  order,  so  far  as 
he  could  judge  without  using  it,  and  Ethan  was  still 
busy  at  the  engine.  Lawry  could  not  deny  himself 
the  pleasure  of  a  survey  of  the  steamer,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  admiring  her  comforts  and  conveniences. 
He  walked  up  and  down  the  main  deck,  entered 
the  saloon  and  the  cabin,  visited  the  fore  hold,  and 
opened  the  doors  of  the  various  apartments  forward 
of  the  paddle-boxes.  It  is  true,  everything  was  in 
a  state  of  "  confusion  worse  confounded."  Carpets 
were  soaked  with  water,  curtains  were  drabbled  and 
stained,  sofas  and  chairs  upset  in  the  cabin  and  sa 
loon  ;  while  in  the  kitchen  and  store-rooms,  shelves 
and  lockers  had  been  emptied,  and  their  contents 
strewed  in  wild  disorder  about  the  apartments. 

But  Lawry  knew  how  order  could  be  brought  out 
of  chaos,  and  the  derangement  of  furniture  and  uten 
sils  did  not  disturb  him.  It  would  be  a  delightful 
occupation  to  restore  harmony  to  these  shelves  and 
lockers,  to  bring  order  and  neatness  out  of  the  con- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        181 

fusion  which  reigned  in  every  part  of  the  steamer. 
When  he  had  completed  his  survey,  he  went  to  the 
engine-room,  and  offered  his  services  to  Ethan  for 
duty  in  his  department.  As  the  engineer  had  noth 
ing  for  him  to  do,  he  returned  to  the  kitchen,  and 
busied  himself  in  putting  things  to  rights  there, 
foreseeing  that  this  apartment  would  soon  be  needed. 
He  made  a  fire  in  the  galley,  in  order  to  dry  the 
room  more  speedily,  and  then  occupied  his  time  in 
picking  up  the  tins  and  the  kettles,  and  putting 
them  in  their  places. 

While  he  was  examining  the  lockers  and  shelves, 
he  found  part  of  a  leg  of  bacon,  and  some  pota 
toes,  which  had  been  left  from  the  stores  used  by 
the  crew  on  the  passage  from  New  York  up  to  the 
lake.  There  were  coffee  and  tea  in  the  canisters, 
sugar  in  the  buckets,  butter  and  salt  in  the  boxes ; 
though  all  these  articles  had  been  more  or  less 
soaked  in  the  water,  depending  upon  the  tightness  of 
the  vessels  that  held  them.  There  was  a  good  fire 
in  the  stove,  and  a  bright  thought  entered  Lawry's 
excited  brain  :  he  and  his  companion  would  break- 
16 


182  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

fast  on  fried  ham  and  potatoes,  flanked  with  hot 
coffee  ! 

Lawry  was  a  cook  of  no  mean  accomplishments, 
and  he  immediately  Avent  to  work  in  carrying  out 
his  brilliant  idea.  Somehow,  it  is  a  singular  fact 
that  boys  have  a  special  delight  in  "  getting  up 
something  to  eat  "  in  the  woods,  on  the  water,  and 
generally  in  all  out  of  the  way  places.  A  dinner 
at  Parker's  or  Delmonico's  is  not  to  be  compared 
with  baked  potatoes  and  roasted  ears  of  corn  in  the 
woods,  or  with  fried  fish  and  potatoes  in  a  boat  or 
on  an  island.  The  young  pilot  was  no  exception 
to  the  common  rule,  and  in  a  state  of  rapture  known 
only  to  the  amateur  cook  of  tender  years,  he  put 
on  the  tea-kettle,  pared  and  sliced  the  potatoes,  and 
put  a  quantity  of  the  brown  mud  from  the  canis 
ter  into  the  coffee-pot. 

Things  were  hissing  and  sizzling  on  the  stove  in 
the  most  satisfactory  manner,  and  Lawry  presided 
over  the  frying-pan  with  a  grace  and  dignity  which 
would  have  been  edifying  in  a  professional  cook. 
While  the  ham  was  cooking,  he  wiped  the  dishes 
with  a  cloth  he  had  dried  at  the  fire,  and  set  the 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        183 

table  on  the  broad  bench  at  the  end  of  the  kitchen. 
The  meat  and  the  potatoes  were  "  done  to  a  turn," 
but  the  coffee  had  a  suspicious  look,  owing  to  the 
absence  of  the  fish-skin,  or  other  ingredient,  for  set 
tling  it.  The  contents  of  the  basket  brought  from 
home  were  tastily  disposed  in  dishes  on  the  table, 
and  breakfast  was  ready.  We  will  venture  to  say, 
that,  in  spite  of  the  disadvantages  under  which  this 
meal  was  prepared,  many  steamboat  men  have  sat 
down  to  a  less  satisfactory  banquet. 

Lawry,  chuckling  with  delight  at  what  he  had 
done,  rang  the  hand-bell  he  found  in  the  kitchen, 
at  the  door.  If  Ethan  had  smelled  the  savory  vi 
ands  in  the  course  of  preparation  for  him,  he  had 
made  no  sign  ;  but  he  was  probably  too  busy  to 
heed  anything  but  the  darling  engine  he  was  so 
affectionately  caressing  with  handfuls  of  packing  and 
spurts  of  oil. 

"  What's  that  bell  for,  Lawry  ? "  shouted  he, 
from  his  perch  on  the  walking-beam. 

"  Breakfast's  ready,''  replied  Lawry,  with  what 
gravity  he  could  muster,  though  he  was  running 
over  with  fun  and  delight. 


/84  HASTE     AND     AVASTE,     OR 

"I  wouldn't  stop  to  eat  now  —  would  you?" 

"  Things  will  be  cold  if  you  don't." 

"  Cold  ? "  laughed  Ethan,  as  he  came  down  from 
the  machinery. 

"  Yes  —  cold.  What's  the  use  of  having  a  kitchen 
if  you  don't  use  it  ?  " 

"  You're  a  good  one  ! "  shouted  Ethan,  as  he  en 
tered  the  kitchen,  and  saw  the  tempting  display  of 
eatables  on  the  table.  "  Why  didn't  you  tell  me 
what  you  were  about ;  " 

"•  I  didn't  want  to  spoil  your  appetite." 

"  You  are  a  first  rate  fellow,  Lawry.  Your  break 
fast  looks  tip-top,  and  I  shall  do  full  justice  to  it ; 
but  I  must  go  and  look  at  the  boiler  and  the  fares 
before  I  eat." 

They  sat  down  to  breakfast  when  Ethan  had  re 
turned,  and  washed  the  smut  from  his  face  and  hands. 
Lawry  poured  out  the  coffee,  and  helped  his  com 
panion  to  ham  and  potatoes.  The  engineer  ate  with 
good  relish. 

"  Your  ham  and  potatoes  are  first  rate,  Lawry ; 
but  I've  seen  better  coffee  than  this,"  said  he. 

"  I  had  nothing  to  settle  it,  and  there  is  no  milk 
on  board." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF     LAKE    CHAMPLAINV       185 

"  We  had  some  fish-skin,  and  there  is  plenty  of 
condensed  milk  on  board,"  replied  Ethan,  as  he  rose 
from  the  table,  and  took  both  of  these  desirable 
articles  from  one  of  the  lockers. 

The  coffee  was  subjected  to  a  new  process,  and  the 
condensed  milk  prepared  for  use.  By  the  time  the 
substantiate  of  the  feast  had  been  discussed,  some 
pretty  good  coffee  was  ready  for  them.  The  boys 
ate  their  breakfast  with  a  zest  they  had  never  known 
before. 

"  Ethan  !  "  exclaimed  Lawry,  as  he  rose  from  the 
table,  and  rushed  out  on  the  main  deck. 

"  What,  Lawry  ?  " 

"  Hold  me  down  !  "  shouted  the  proprietor  of  the 
Woodville,  as  he  began  to  dance  and  caper  about  the 
deck  like  an  insane  person. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Hold  me  down  !  I  shall  go  up  if  you  don't.  I 
can't  hold  in  any  longer.  I'm  so  tickled,  I  feel  as 
though  I  should  fly  away." 

"  Don't  do  it,"  laughed  Ethan.  "  But  I  must  go 
and  look  after  the  engine,  or  we  may  both  go  up,  in  a 
16* 


186  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

way  that  won't  suit  us ;  "  and  Ethan  hurried  down 
into  the  fire-room. 

After  taking  a  turn  up  and  down  the  deck,  Lawry 
curbed  down  his  superfluous  enthusiasm,  and  returned 
to  the  kitchen,  where  he  extinguished  the  fire  in  the 
galley,  and  put  away  the  dishes  and  kettles  which  had 
been  used  in  getting  breakfast.  By  this  time  Ethan 
had  finished  his  work  on  the  engine,  and  the  steam 
gauge  indicated  a  sufficient  pressure  to  work  the 
machinery. 

"  All  ready,  Lawry  !  "  shouted  he. 

"  Is  everything  all  right  ?  " 

"  Yes,  as  good  as  new.  Xow,  if  you  will  go  into 
the  wheel-house,  we  will  see  what  she  will  do." 

"  Hurrah  !  "  shouted  Lawry,  as  he  rushed  forward 
to  take  his  position. 

He  pulled  the  bell  for  starting  her,  and  with  a 
thrill  of  delight,  he  heard  the  wheels  splashing  in 
the  water ;  and  great  splurges  began  to  roll  up  on 
the  shore. 

"  Does  she  move  ? "  asked  Ethan,  through  the 
speaking-tube  which  communicated  with  the  wheel- 
house  from  the  engine-room. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.         187 

"  No,  she  sticks  fast,"  replied  Lawry.  "  Give  her 
a  little  more  of  it." 

The  wheels  of  the  steamer  turned  rapidly  for  a 
moment,  and  tlie'Woodville  slid  off  the  ground  into 
deep  water. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  shouted  Lawry,  as  he  rang  the  bell  to 
stop  her.  "  She's  all  right  now,"  he  added,  through 
the  tube. 

"  Go  ahead,  then,"  replied  the  engineer. 

"  As  soon  as  I  make  fast  the  wherry  astern." 

Lawry  sculled  the  small  boat  to  the  stern,  and 
fastened  it  there.  It  was  almost  incredible  to  him 
that  the  steamer  was  afloat,  and  under  steam  ;  and 
it  seemed  just  as  though  something  must  give  out. 
It  was  hard  to  believe  in  his  OAvn  good  fortune  ;  and 
he  could  not  help  fearing  that  the  boat  would  sink 
under  him  ;  that  the  boiler  would  burst,  or  that  some 
catastrophe  would  rob  him  of  the  bliss  upon  which  he 
was  entering. 

Before  he  went  to  the  wheel-house  he  sounded  the 
pumps  again,  and  visited  the  fore-hold  to  examine  the 
oil-cloth  over  the  aperture  in  the  bow.  There  was 
but  little  water  in  the  well,  and  the  canvas  carpet 


188  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

was  faithful  to  its  duty.  There  was  nothing  to  fear, 
though  Lawry  couldn't  help  fearing. 

"  Are  you  all  ready,  Ethan  ? "  called  the  pilot 
through  the  tube. 

"  All  ready  ;  but  don't  you  think  we  had  better 
hoist  the  flags,  and  go  over  in  good  style  ? "  re 
sponded  the  engineer. 

"  Ay,  ay." 

The  small  American  flag  and  the  union  jack,  which 
had  been  taken  from  the  poles  the  night  before,  and 
deposited  in  the  locker  of  the  wherry,  were  displayed, 
and  Lawry  returned  to  his  post. 

The  pilot  rang  his  bell  to  start,  and  the  wheels 
turned  slowly  as  Ethan  opened  the  valves.  The 
"\Voodville  moved  off  from  the  shore,  and  Lawry' s 
heart  bounded  as  though  it  had  been  part  of  the 
engine.  He  grasped  the  spokes,  and  heaved  the 
wheel  over ;  the  beautiful  craft  obeyed  her  helm. 

"  Hurrah !  hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  shouted  Lawry,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  speaking-tube. 

"  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  echoed  back  from 
the  engine-room. 

That  was  the  day  of  rejoicing  to  those  boys  ;  there 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE     CHAMPLATN.        189 

was  to  be  no  other  day  like  it,  and  no  moment  to  be 
compared  with  that  when  the  little  Woodville,  re 
deemed  from  the  bottom  of  the  lake  by  their  labor, 
began  to  move  towards  the  opposite  shore.  That 
instant  was  to  them  the  height  of  felicity. 

Lawry  stood  at  the  wheel,  looking  through  the 
open  window  in  front  of  him.  It  was  his  hour  of 
triumph.  As  he  gazed  at  the  shore,  he  saw  the  ferry 
boat  start  out  from  the  landing.  There  was  no  vehicle 
in  her,  and  as  the  steamer  approached  nearer  to  her, 
he  saw  that  Mr.  Sherwood  and  the  ladies  were  on 
board  of  her.  They  were  coming  out  to  welcome 
and  congratulate  Ethan  and  himself  upon  the  tri 
umphant  success  of  the  enterprise.  Mrs.  Wilford 
was  with  them,  and  Ben  held  the  steering  oar. 

Lawry  informed  his  friend,  through  the  tube,  of  the 
approach  of  the  party.  The  ladies  in  the  ferry-boat 
were  waving  their  handkerchiefs,  and  Mr.  Sherwood 
was  swinging  his  hat. 

"  Whistle,  Lawry  !  "  shouted  the  engineer,  as  the 
pilot  informed  him  what  was  taking  place. 

"  Hurrah  !  "    shouted   the  pilot,  as  he  pulled  the 


190  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OK 

string ;    and  the   shrill   scream  of   the  steam-whistle 
awoke  the  echoes  on  the  shores. 

As  the  Woodville  came  up  to  the  bateau,  Lawry 
rang  to  stop,  and,  swinging  his  hat  out  the  window, 
gave  three  cheers  all  alone,  while  the  ladies  waved 
their  handkerchiefs  in  reply. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       191 


CHAPTER     XIV. 

CAPTAIX     LAWRY. 

THE  bateau  ran  up  to  the  steamer,  and  Ben  made 
ner  fast  at  the  forward  gangway.  Mr.  Sherwood  still 
cheered,  and  the  ladies  continued  to  wave  their  hand 
kerchiefs. 

"  Won't  you  come  on  board  ?  "  said  Lawry  to  the 
party. 

"  I  shall,  for  one,"  replied  Mr.   Sherwood. 

"  I'm  afraid  of  her,"  added  Miss  Fanny. 

"  There  is  nothing  to  fear,  ladies.  She  is  safe, 
and  we  are  running  her  very  slowly,''  continued  the 
young  pilot. 

''  Lawry  knows  where  the  rocks  are,"  said  Mrs. 
Wilford,  proud  of  her  boy,  "  and  I'll  warrant  you 
there  is  no  danger." 

With  some  misgivings,  the  ladies,  who  had  suf 
fered  by  the  catastrophe  when  the  Woodville  was 


192  HASTE     AND    WASTE,    OR 

wrecked,  permitted  themselves  to  be  handed  to  the 
deck  of  the  steamer.  She  was  not  so  clean  and  nice 
as  she  had  been  before,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
step  very  daintily  as  they  moved  about. 

"  I  congratulate  you  on  your  success,  Lawry,"  said 
Mr.  Sherwood,  as  he  stepped  on  board  after  the 
ladies.  "  You  have  worked  bravely,  and  succeeded 
nobly  ; "  and  he  grasped  the  hand  of  the  pilot. 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  I  knew  I  could  raise  her,  if  I 
had  fair  play.  I  don't  know  but  you  are  sick  of 
your  bargain,  sir,  in  giving  her  to  me." 

"  By  no  means,  Captain  Lawry,"  replied  the  rich 
man,  laughing.  "  If  the  ladies  succeed  in  over 
coming  their  terror  of  steamboats,  I  suppose  I  can 
charter  the  boat  for  our  party  when  we  wish  to 
use  her." 

"  She  is  at  your  service  always,  sir,"  replied  Law 
ry,  with  enthusiasm. 

"  O,  I  shall  take  her  on  the  same  terms  that  others 
do.  When  I  use  her,  I  shall  pay  you." 

"  That  wouldn't  be  fair,  sir.  I  couldn't  take  any 
money  from  you  for  the  use  of  her,"  added  Lawry, 
blushing. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     193 

"  We  will  not  talk  about  that  now.  When  she  is 
in  condition  for  use,  we  will  consider  these  questions. 
How  did  you  find  her  this  morning  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Sherwood,  with  a  mischievous  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"  We  found  the  water  all  pumped  out  of  her ; 
and  we  didn't  know  what  to  make  of  it,"  answered 
Lawry. 

All  the  visitors  burst  out  laughing,  and  heartily 
enjoyed  the  astonishment  and  confusion  of  the  young 
pilot. 

"  I  don't  understand  it,"  exclaimed  Lawry,  now 
satisfied  that  the  party  knew  all  about  the  matter. 

"  The  fairies,  knowing  what  a  good  boy  you  are, 
Lawry,  must  have  pumped  her  out  for  you,"  said 
Miss  Fanny. 

"  Perhaps  they  did.  But  we  found  a  lantern  on 
board  this  morning,  and  I  don't  believe  fairies  work 
by  the  light  of  a  lamp." 

Mr.  Sherwood  then  explained  what  he  had  done 
the  preceding  night,  and  the  reason  why  he  had  done 
it.  Ben  Wilford,  after  fastening  the  ferry-boat  at 
the  stern  of  the  steamer,  had  come  on  deck,  and  lis 
tened  to  the  explanation.  He  saw  in  what  manner 
17 


194  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

his  malice  had  been  defeated,  and  he  looked  very 
much  dissatisfied  with  himself  and  everybody  on 
board. 

"  You  were  very  kind,  Mr.  Sherwood,  to  take  so 
much  trouble  upon  yourself,"  said  Lawry. 

"  It  was  no  trouble  at  all ;  it  was  a  great  pleasure 
to  me.  But  I  don't  understand  how  the  steamer 
happened  to  be  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake." 

"  I  supposed  the  persons  who  baled  her  out  set 
her  adrift.  The  casks  were  all  knocked  out  from 
under  the  guards,  and  they  are  scattered  all  along 
the  shore." 

"  Before  my  men  left  her  last  night,  I  went  all  over 
the  boat  to  satisfy  myself  that  everything  was  right. 
I  examined  the  cables  very  carefully,  and  I  am  sure 
they  were  well  stoppered  at  twelve  o'clock,  when  we 
went  on  shore." 

"  I  fastened  the  cable  myself,  and  I  don't  think 
she  could  have  broken  loose  herself." 

Ben  Wilford  listened  in  sullen  silence  to  this  con 
versation,  and  his  mother  could  hardly  keep  from 
crying  as  she  thought  of  the  guilt  of  her  oldest  son. 
She  was  not  willing  to  tell  Lawry  what  his  brother 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.      195 

had  done,  fearful  that  his  indignation  would  produce 
a  quarrel  where  brotherly  love  should  prevail.  She 
believed  that  Ben  had  attempted,  while  under  the 
influence  of  liquor,  to  sink  the  Woodville,  and  that 
he  would  not  do  such  a  thing  in  his  sober  senses. 

Neither  Lawry  nor  Mr.  Sherwood  could  explain 
in  what  manner  the  steamer  had  broken  from  her 
moorings  and  the  oil  casks  been  removed  from  their 
fastenings  ;  so  they  were  obliged  to  drop  the  matter, 
congratulating  themselves  upon  the  present  safety 
of  the  boat. 

"  We  will  go  ashore  with  you,  Captain  Lawry, 
when  you  are  ready,"  said  Mr.  Sherwood,  after  the 
question  had  been  disposed  of  in  this  unsatisfactory 
manner. 

"  Captain  Lawry ! "  sneered  Ben,  who  stood  on 
the  forecastle,  near  the  speaker. 

"  Certainly  ;  he  is  the  captain  of  the  steamer  — 
isn't  he  ? "  laughed  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  It  sounds  big  for  a  boy,"  growled  Ben. 

"  He  will  make  a  good  captain." 

Ben  turned  and  walked  away,  disgusted  with  the 
idea. 


196  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  I'm  ready,  sir,"  said  Lawry,  as  he  stepped  into 
the  wheel-house  and  rang  the  bell  to  start  her. 

The  Woodville  continued  on  her  passage  across 
the  lake,  running  as  close  to  the  shore  as  it  was 
safe  for  her  to  go. 

"Where  are  you  bound  next,  Captain  Lawry?" 
asked  Mr.  Sherwood,  who  seemed  to  take  a  special 
pleasure  in  giving  the  young  pilot  his  title. 

"  I'm  going  to  fish  up  the  anchors  we  lost,  and 
then  to  pick  up  the  oil  casks,"  replied  Lawry. 

"  Where  do  you  intend  to  keep  your  steamer  ? " 

"  I  hadn't  thought  of  that,  sir." 

"  You  will  need  a  wharf." 

"  We  need  one ;  but  I  think  we  shall  have  to  get 
along  without  one." 

"  Where  do  you  think  would  be  a  good  place  to 
have  one  ?  " 

"  The  deepest  water  is  just  below  the  ferry  land 
ing.  We  could  get  depth  enough  for  this  boat  by 
running  a  pier  out  about  forty  feet.  Ethan  and  I 
can  build  some  kind  of  a  wharf,  when  we  have  time." 

Mr.  Sherwood  said  no  more  about  the  matter,  and 
Ben  landed  the  visitors  in  the  ferry-boat.  The  Wood- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.     197 

ville  then  ran  down  to  the  Goblins,  and  towed  the 
raft  out  to  the  spot  where  the  anchors  lay.  A  boat 
grapnel  was  dragged  over  the  spot,  the  cables  hooked, 
and  the  anchors  hauled  up  with  the  derrick  on  the 
raft,  from  which  they  were  transferred  to  the  steamer. 

Having  obtained  these  necessary  appendages  of  the 
steamer,  they  returned  to  the  landing  for  the  ferry 
boat,  in  which  they  intended  to  load  the  oil  casks, 
and  convey  them  to  Pointville.  Ben  was  at  the 
landing  when  she  arrived,  and  without  any  invitation, 
stepped  on  board  the  ferry-boat,  and  thence  to  the 
steamer. 

"  Don't  you  want  some  help,  Lawry  ?  "  asked  Ben, 
entering  the  wheel-house,  as  the  Woodville  was  about 
to  start. 

"  Yes  ;  we  should  be  glad  of  all  the  help  we  can 
get,"  replied  Lawry,  pleasantly,  for  he  was  not  a 
little  troubled  by  the  sullen  looks  of  his  brother. 

"  Well,  I'll  help  you." 

"  We  have  a  good  deal  of  hard  work  to  do  to 
day,"  added  the  pilot.  "  I  would  like  to  get  the 
boat  on  the  ways  at  Port  Henry  to-night." 

"  That  can  be  done  easy  enough." 
17* 


198  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OB 

Ben  Wilford  seemed  now  to  have  adopted  a  con 
ciliatory  policy,  but  it  was  evidently  done  for  a  pur 
pose.  When  the  Woodville  reached  the  Goblins,  he 
worked  with  good  will  in  loading  the  ferry-boat, 
which  was  to'wed  over  to  Pointville,  and  her  cargo 
discharged.  The  casks,  which  had  drifted  over  to  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  were  then  picked  up,  and 
landed  at  the  same  place.  The  man  who  had  carted 
them  down  to  the  shore  was  engaged  to  convey  them 
back  to  the  barn  of  the  oil  speculator.  It  was  noon 
by  the  time  this  work  was  all  accomplished ;  and  the 
Woodville  again  crossed  the  lake,  and  came  to  anchor 
in  the  deep  water  above  the  ferry  landing,  as  close  to 
the  shore  as  it  was  prudent  for  her  to  lie.  Ethan 
banked  his  fires,  and  the  boys  went  on  shore  to  din 
ner,  one  at  a  time ;  for  after  the  experience  of  the 
preceding  night,  they  would  not  leave  the  steamer 
alone  for  a  single  moment. 

After  dinner,  Mr.  Sherwood,  who  appeared  to  be  as 
much  interested  in  the  little  steamer  as  though  she 
had  not  changed  her  ownership,  came  on  board  again, 
accompanied  by  the  ladies.  It  had  before  been  de 
cided  that  the  carpets  should  be  taken  up,  the  muslin 


THE    YOUN^G    PILOT    OF    LAK13    CHAMPIAIN.        199 

curtains  removed,  and  such  portions  of  the  furniture 
and  utensils  as  had  been  injured  by  the  water  should 
be  conveyed  on  shore  to  be  cleaned,  and  put  in 
proper  order  for  use.  In  this  labor  Mr.  Sherwood's 
party  and  Mrs.  Wilford  assisted,  and  by  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon  everything  had  been  removed.  Ben 
Wilford  aided  very  zealously,  and  his  mother  hopefully 
concluded  that  he  was  sorry  for  what  he  intended 
to  do,  and  wished  to  remove  any  suspicion  of  evil 
intentions  on  his  part. 

The  Woodville  was  now  going  down  to  Port 
Henry,  where  the  repairs  on  her  hull  were  to  be 
made,  and  the  pilot  and  engineer  were  to  remain 
on  board.  Ben  promised  faithfully  to  run  the  ferry 
during  Lawry's  absence ;  and,  cheered  by  the  party 
on  shore,  the  Woodville  departed  for  her  destination. 
She  ran  at  half  speed,  but  reached  the  port  before 
sunset.  The  next  morning  she  went  on  the  ways, 
and  her  repairs  commenced.  They  were  completed 
in  a  couple  of  days,  and  she  was  as  good  as  when  she 
was  first  launched.  During  this  time  Ethan  was  con 
stantly  employed  on  the  engine,  and  when  the  steamer 
was  restored  to  her  native  element  there  was  not  a 
suspicion  of  rust  on  the  machinery. 


200  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

Lawry  was  also  as  busy  as  a  bee  all  the  time, 
scrubbing  the  floors,  cleaning  the  paint,  and  polish 
ing  the  brass-work.  When  the  boat  was  ready  to 
return  to  Port  Rock,  she  was  in  condition  to  receive 
her  furniture.  She  was  launched  early  in  the  morn 
ing,  and  Ethan  proceeded  at  once  to  get  up  steam. 
Both  of  the  boys  were  in  the  highest  state  of  expec 
tancy  and  delight ;  and  when  Lawry  struck  the  bell 
to  start  her,  he  was  hardly  less  excited  than  when  he 
had  done  so  for  the  first  time  after  the  water  had  been 
pumped  out  of  her.  All  the  bunting  was  displayed  at 
the  bow  and  stern,  and  the  Woodville  now  ploughed 
the  lake  at  full  speed.  Her  happy  owner  realized 
that  she  was  good  for  ten  miles  an  hour,  which,  for 
so  diminutive  a  craft,  was  more  than  he  had  a  right 
to  expect. 

"  Hallo ! "  shouted  Lawry  to  himself,  as  the  steamer 
approached  the  ferry  landing  ;  "  what's  that  ?  " 

In  the  deep  water  which  the  young  pilot  had  indi 
cated  as  the  best  place  for  a  wharf,  a  pier  was  in 
process  of  erection.  A  score  of  bridge  builders  were 
sawing,  hammering,  and  chopping,  and  Mr.  Sherwood 
stood  in  their  midst,  watching  their  operations.  The 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       201 

structure  was  not  completed,  but  the  mooring  posts 
were  set  up,  so  that  the  Woodville  could  be  made  fast 
to  them.  Mr.  Sherwood  and  the  workmen  gave  three 
cheers  as  the  steamer  approached. 

"  Run  her  up  here,  Lawry  !  "  shouted  his  wealthy 
friend. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

For  the  want  of  deck  hands  the  pilot  was  obliged 
to  heave  the  fasts  on  the  wharf  himself ;  but  the  boat 
was  soon  secured  to  the  pier,  and  Lawry's  hand  was 
warmly  grasped  by  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  You  have  taken  this  job  out  of  my  hands,  sir," 
said  Lawry,  as  he  glanced  at  the  wharf. 

"Yes;  I  thought  I  could  do  it  better  than  you 
could,  as  your  time  will  be  fully  occupied." 

"  I  think  I  should  have  found  time  enough  to  do 
what  I  intended ;  but  of  course  I  couldn't  have 
built  any  such  wharf  as  this." 

"It  is  none  too  good." 

"  But  I  ought  to  pay  for  it  out  of  the  money  I  may 
earn  with  the  boat." 

"  Never  mind  that,  Lawry,"  added  Mr.  Sher 
wood,  as  he  proceeded  to  inquire  into  the  nature  and 


202  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

cost  of  the  repairs  which  had  been  made  at  Port 
Henry, 

The  young  captain  explained  what  had  been  done 
during  his  absence,  and  informed  his  interested  friend 
that  the  steamer  was  in  condition  to  receive  her  fur 
niture. 

"  Shall  you  have  her  ready  for  a  trip  by  to 
morrow  ? "  asked  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Because  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  engage  her, 
in  your  name,  for  several  parties." 

"  You  are  very  kind,  sir,"  replied  Lawry,  bewil 
dered  to  find  the  craft  already  in  demand. 

"  Have  you  fixed  upon  any  price  for  her  ?  " 

"  Ethan  and  I  were  talking  over  the  matter.  We 
shall  need  some  help  on  board,  and  that  will  cost 
money.  Coal  is  pretty  high  up  here  on  the  lake." 

"  Well,  how  much  did.  you  intend  to  charge  for  her 
by  the  day,  or  the  hour  ?  " 

"  We  thought  about  three  dollars  an  hour,"  replied 
Lawry,  with  much  diffidence. 

"  Three  dollars  an  hour !  You  are  too  modest  by 
half,"  laughed  Mr.  Sherwood.  "  Make  it  five,  at 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       203 

least.     I  told  the  parties  I  engaged  for  you  that  the 
price  would  not  be  less  than  fifty  dollars  a  day." 

"  I'm  afraid  I  shall  make  money  too  fast  at  that 
rate,"  added  Lawry. 

"  No,  you  won't.  It  will  cost  a  great  deal  of 
money  to  run  the  boat.  What  do  you  pay  your 
engineer  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  sir  ;  we  have  made  no  bargain 
yet." 

"  If  Ethan  does  a  man's  work,  you  must  pay  him 
a  man's  wages.  I  suppose  he  wants  to  make  his 
fortune." 

"  What  do  you  think  he  ought  to  have  ?  "  asked 
Lawry. 

"  Three   dollars   a  day,"    replied    Mr.    Sherwood, 
promptly.       "  I  dare    say    Ethan    would    not    charge ' 
you    half    so    much  ;    but    that  is  about  the  wages 
of  a  man  for  running  an  engine  in  these  times." 

"  I  am  satisfied,  if  that  is  fair  wages  ;  though  it  is 
a  great  deal  more  than  I  ever  made." 

"  Engineers  get  high  wages.  Then  you  want  a 
fireman." 

"  I  can  get  a  boy,  who  will  answer  very  well  for  a 
fireman." 


204  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

"  I  think  not,  Lawry.  You  need  a  man  of  expe 
rience  and  judgment.  He  can  save  his  wages  for  you 
in  coal.  The  man  whom  I  employed  as  a  fireman  is 
just  the  person,  and  he  is  at  the  village  now." 

"  What  must  I  pay  him,  sir  ?  " 

"  Two  dollars  a  day.  Then  your  parties  will  want 
some  dinner  on  board,  and  you  will  need  a  cook,  and 
two  stewards.  A  woman  to  do  the  cooking,  and  two 
girls  to  tend  the  table,  will  answer  your  purpose. 
You  can  obtain  the  three  for  about  seven  dollars  a 
week  ;  but  your  passengers  must  pay  extra  for  their 
meals,  and  you  need  not  charge  the  expenses  of  the 
steward's  department  to  the  boat." 

Lawry  could  not  help  laughing  in  Mr.  Sherwood's 
face,  as  he  went  through  these  details.  He  had 
expected  to  run  the  steamer  with  Ethan,  and  a 
couple  of  boys,  with  perhaps  a  woman  to  cook  for 
them ;  and  he  regarded  the  rich  man's  calculations 
as  very  magnificent,  and  very  extravagant. 

"  If  you  expect  to  succeed,  Lawry,  you  must  do 
your  work  well.  Your  boat  must  be  safe  and  com 
fortable,  and  your  dinners  nice  and  well  served.  I  had 
not  finished  when  you  laughed.  You  will  want  two 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       205 

deck  hands.  Boys  of  your  own  age  will  answer;  and 
you  will  have  to  pay  them  about  a  dollar  a  day  each. 
Your  expenses,  including  coal,  oil  for  machinery,  and 
hands,  will  be  about  twenty  dollars  a  day.  If  you 
add  repairs,  of  which  steamboats  are  continually  in 
need,  you  will  run  it  up  to  twenty-five  dollars  a  day." 

"  That  will  leave  me  a  profit  of  twenty-five  dollars 
a  day,"  added  Lawry,  delighted  at  the  thought. 

"  If  you  are  employed  every  day,  it  will ;  but  you 
cannot  expect  to  do  anything  with  parties  for  more 
than  two  months  in  the  year." 

"  I  can  get  some  towirjg  to  do ;  and  I  may  make 
something  with  passengers." 

"  Parties  will  pay  best  in  July  and  August,  and 
perhaps  part  of  September ;  but  you  must  be  wide 
awake." 

"  I  intend  to  be." 

"  I  advise  you  to  get  up  a  handbill  of  your 
steamer,  announcing  that  she  is  to  be  let  to  parties 
by  the  day,  at  all  the  large  ports  on  the  lake.  There 
are  plenty  of  wealthy  people,  spending  the  summer  in 
this  vicinity,  who  would  be  glad  to  engage  her,  even 
for  a  week  at  once." 
18 


206  HASTE     AXD     WASTE,    OK 

"  Will  you  write  me  a  handbill,  Mr.  Sherwood  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  get  it  printed." 

"  Thank  you,  sir." 

"  The  Woodville  is  engaged  to  me  for  to-morrow," 
added  Mr.  Sherwood ;  and  he  went  to  the  engine-room 
to  see  Ethan. 


£•• 

THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       207 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE     NEW     CAPTAIN. 

LAWRY  was  bewildered  by  the  magnificence  of 
the  arrangements  suggested  by  Mr.  Sherwood  ;  but 
if  the  Woodville  was  to  be  employed  in  taking 
out  parties  of  genteel  people,  nothing  less  magnifi 
cent  would  answer  the  purpose.  His  influential 
friend,  it  appeared,  had  already  exerted  himself  to 
procure  employment  of  this  kind  for  the  steamer, 
and  the  proprietor  of  the  beautiful  craft  was  not 
only  willing  to  conform  to  his  ideas,  but  was  grate 
ful  for  the  kindly  interest  he  manifested  in  the  pros 
perity  of  the  enterprise. 

In  the  afternoon,  an  upholsterer  who  had  been 
employed  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Sherwood  came  on 
board,  put  down  the  carpets,  and  hung  the  curtains 
and  draperies  in  the  cabin  and  saloon.  The  furni 
ture  was  put  on  board,  the  mirrors  restored  to  their 


208  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

places,  and  the  beds  made  up  in  the  cabin  and 
state-rooms.  At  sundown  none  but  a  close  observer 
could  have  suspected  that  the  steamer  had  lain  three 
or  four  days  on  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 

While  this  work  had  been  in  progress,  Mrs.  Wil- 
ford  had  been  up  to  the  village  and  engaged  a  cook, 
and  two  girls  for  the  steward's  department ;  the  fire 
man  had  been  sent  for ;  and  two  boys,  who  had 
been  brought  up  on  board  a  lake  sloop,  were  em 
ployed  as  deck  hands.  By  the  time  the  cabin  and 
saloon  were  completed,  all  these  persons  had  reported 
for  duty  on  board.  Mrs.  Light,  the  cook,  was  in 
the  kitchen,  exploring  the  lockers,  ice-chest,  and 
shelves  of  her  department,  and  the  waiter-girls  were 
ascertaining  how  to  set  the  table  in  the  cabin. 
The  deck  hands  were  experimenting  with  the  chain- 
box,  and  the  fireman  was  quite  at  home  at  the 
furnaces. 

Now,  Lawry  thought  it  was  quite  necessary  that 
his  crew  should  be  trained  a  little  before  any  pas 
sengers  were  received  on  board,  and  after  Mr.  Sher 
wood  and  his  party  had  gone  home,  the  fires  were 
revived,  and  a  short  trip  down  the  lake  determined 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       209 

upon.  As  soon  as  there  was  steam  enough  for  the 
purpose,  the  pilot,  now  the  captain,  rang  his  bell  to 
back  her,  and  the  deck  hands  were  instructed  in 
getting  the  fasts  on  board.  Ben  Wilford,  who  was 
standing  on  the  wharf,  cast  off  the  hawsers,  and  then 
jumped  aboard  himself.  The  bells  jingled  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then  the  Woodville  went  off  on  her 
course. 

"  This  is  all  very  fine,"  said  Ben,  seating  himself 
behind  Lawry,  in  the  wheel-house. 

"  First  rate,"  laughed  Lawry. 

"  What    am    I    to   do  ? "    demanded    Ben,   rather 
gruffly. 

"  You  ?  "  said  the  pilot. 

"  Everybody  seems  to  have  something  to  do  with 
her  except  me." 

"  What  do  you  want  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  you  think  I'm  not  fit  for  anything." 

"  I  had   an   idea   that  you  would   stay  at   home, 
and  run  the  ferry-boat." 

"  Did  you  ?  "   sneered  Ben. 

"  Some  one  must  do  that ;  and  of  course  I  can't 
now." 

18* 


210  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OB 

"  Hang  the  ferry-boat !  " 

"  It  must  be  run,  or  we  shall  forfeit  the  privilege." 

"  I  shall  not  run  it,  Avhatever  happens." 

"  I  don't  see  how  I  can." 

"  Lawry,  I  don't  think  you  are  using  me  right," 
added  Ben,  sourly. 

"  Why,  what  have  I  done  ?  " 

"  You've  got  this  boat,  and  though  you  know 
I'm  a  steamboat  man,  you  don't  say  a  word  to  me 
about  taking  any  position  on  board  of  her." 

"  I  don't  know  what  position  there  is  on  board 
for  you,  unless  you  take  a  deck  hand's  place." 

"  A  deck  hand  !  " 

"  That  is  what  you  have  always  been." 

"  Do  you  think  I'm  going  to  be  bossed  by  you  ? " 

"  Ben,  if  you  will  tell  me  just  what  you  want,  I 
shall  understand  you  better,"  said  Lawry,  rather  im 
patiently. 

"  You  know  what  I  want.  There  is  only  one 
place  in  the  boat  I  would  be  willing  to  take." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  You  know  as  well  as  I  do." 

"  You  mean  captain." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       211 

"  Of  course  I  do." 

"  I  intended  to  be  captain  myself." 

"  I  thought  you  were  going  to  be  pilot  of  her." 

"  So  I  am ;   and  captain  too." 

"  Then  you  mean  to  leave  me  out  entirely." 

"  Ben,  I  don't  want  to  have  any  row  ;  and  I  won't 
quarrel  with  my  brother ;  but  I  don't  think  it  is 
quite  fair  for  you  to  ask  so  much  of  me." 

"  Don't  I  know  all  about  a  steamboat  ?  " 

"  Can  you  pilot  one  up  and  down  the  lake  ?  " 

"  Well,  no  ;   I  never  did  that  kind  of  work." 

"  Can  you  run  an  engine  ?  " 

"  No  ;  and  you  can't,  either.  The  captain  doesn't 
have  to  be  a  pilot,  nor  an  engineer." 

"  What  must  he  do,  then  ?  " 

"  He  must  look  out  for  everything  on  board,  see 
to  making  the  landing,  and  that  the  people  on  board 
are  comfortable." 

"  I  intend  to  do  all  that." 

"  How  can  you  do  it,  and  stay  in  the  wheel-house 
all  the  time  ?  " 

"  I  shall  not  stay  here  all  the  time.  The  deck 
hands  know  how  to  steer.  I  want  to  do  what's  fair 


212  HASTE     A\D     WASTE,    OK 

and  right,  Ben.  The  steamer  was  given  to  me ; 
and  I  don't  exactly  like  to  have  any  one  to  boss 
me  on  board." 

"  The  captain  don't  have  much  to  do  with  the 
pilot,  and  I  shan't  boss  you." 

"  Suppose  the  question  should  come  up,  whether 
or  not  the  boat  should  take  a  certain  job  ;  who 
would  decide  the  question  —  you  or  I  ? " 

"  I'm  the  oldest,  and  I  think  I  ought  to  have  the 
biggest  voice  in  the  matter." 

"  But  the  boat  is  mine,"  added  Lawry,  with  em 
phasis. 

"  As  to  that,  she  is  just  as  much  mine  as  she  is 
yours  ;  "  and  Ben  rehearsed  his  old  argument  about 
minors  not  being  competent  to  hold  property. 

"  I'm  willing  to  do  what's  fair  and  right  ;  but  I 
shall  not  have  any  captain  over  me  in  this  boat," 
replied  Lawry,  firmly,  but  kindly. 

"  Lawry,  you  are  my  brother,"  said  Ben,  angrily ; 
"  but  I  don't  care  for  that.  You  set  yourself  up 
above  me ;  you  make  me  a  nobody.  I  won't  stand 
it!" 

"  I  don't  set  myself  up  above  you,  Ben." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       213 

"  Yes,  you  do.  Just  now  you  offered  me  the 
place  of  a  deck  hand  !  " 

"  I  didn't  ask  you  to  take  any  place.  I'll  tell 
you  what  I  will  do,  Ben.  I'll  talk  with  mother  and 
Mr.  Sherwood  about  the  matter,  and  if  they  think 
you  ought  to  be  captain  of  the  Woodville,  you 
shaU  be." 

"  Mr.  Sherwood  don't  know  everything." 

"  I  think  he  would  know  what  is  right  in  a  case 
like  this." 

"  He  thinks  you  are  a  little  god,  and  I  know 
what  he  would  say." 

"  I  will  do  as  mother  says,  then." 

"  "What  do  women  know  about  these  things  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  Mr.  Sherwood  or  mother,  either, 
would  like  it  if  I  should  give  up  the  command  of 
this  boat  to  any  one." 

"  Let  them  lump  it,  then,"  replied  Ben,  as  he 
rushed  out  of  the  wheel-house,  incensed  beyond 
measure  at  Lawry's  opposition  to  his  unreasonable 
proposal. 

Captain  Lawry  was  sorely  disturbed  by  the  con 
duct  of  his  brother.  He  could  not  enjoy  his  pleasant 


214  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

position  at  the  wheel,  and  he  put  the  steamer  about, 
heading  her  towards  Port  Rock. 

*'  Lawry,"  said  Ben,  returning  to  the  wheel-house, 
"  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  you  are  going  to  do. 
I'm  older  than  you,  and  I  have  seen  more  steam- 
boatiug  than  you  have.  I  think  it's  my  right  to 
be  captain  of  this  boat." 

"  I  don't  think  so." 

"  I  don't  want  to  jaw  any  more  about  it." 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't." 

"  All  I've  got  to  say  is,  that  if  I  don't  run  this 
boat  no  one  will." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that,  Ben  ?  "  demanded 
Lawry,  appalled  at  the  threat  the  words  implied. 

"  No  matter  what  I  mean.  I'm  going  to  have 
what  belongs  to  me.  Now,  once  for  all,  am  I  to 
be  captain,  or  not  ?  " 

"  Xo,"  replied  Lawry,  firmly. 

Ben  went  out  of  the  wheel-house,  and  the  pilot 
did  not  see  him  again  till  after  the  Woodville  reached 
her  wharf.  Lawry  was  sadly  grieved  at  the  attitude 
of  his  brother ;  and  if  Ben  had  been  a  reliable  per 
son,  fit  for  the  position  he  aspired  to  obtain,  he 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       215 

would  have  yielded  the  point.  But  the  would-be 
captain  was  an  intemperate  and  dissolute  fellow,  as 
unsuitable  for  the  command  as  he  would  have  been 
for  the  presidency  of  a  bank. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  the  supplies  for 
the  Woodville  were  taken  on  board,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  everything  was  in  readiness  for  the  reception 
of  Mr.  Sherwood's  party.  The  steam,  was  merrily 
hissing  from  the  escape-pipe  ;  Ethan  was  busy,  as 
he  always  was,  in  rubbing  down  the  polished  parts 
of  the  engine,  and  Lawry  was  walking  up  and  down 
the  forward  deck.  Quite  a  collection  of  people  had 
assembled  on  the  unfinished  wharf  and  the  shore  to 
witness  the  departure  of  the  steamer.  As  Captain 
Lawry  paced  the  deck,  there  was  a  slight  commo 
tion  in  the  crowd,  and  three  persons  passed  through, 
making  their  way  to  the  deck.  One  of  them  was 
the  sheriff  who  had  arrested  the  ferryman  a  few  days 
before.  He  was  followed  by  Mr.  Taylor,  his  father's 
creditor,  and  Ben  Wilford. 

"  I'm  sorry  to  trouble  you,  Lawry,"  said  the  official, 
as  he  stepped  .up  to  the  young  captain ;  "  but  I 
suppose  I  must  do  my  duty." 


216  HASTE    AND    AVASTE,    OB 

"  What's  the  matter,  sir  ? "  asked  Lawry,  aston 
ished  at  the  formidable  introduction  of  the  messenger 
of  the  law.  "  What  have  I  done  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  my  boy.  I  think  this  is  rather  mean 
business  ;  but  I  can't  help  it,"  replied  the  sheriff, 
as  he  produced  certain  documents.  "  Your  father 
owes  Mr.  Taylor  a  note  of  nine  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars,  on  which  the  interest  has  not  been  paid  for 
two  years,  making  the  debt  ten  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  dollars." 

"  But  the  place  is  mortgaged  for  that,"  replied 
Lawry,  who  could  not  see  what  he  had  to  do  with 
the  debt. 

"  I  have  just  foreclosed  the  mortgage  ;  and  now 
I  must  attach  this  steamboat." 

"  Attach  it !  "  groaned  Lawry. 

"  Such  are  my  orders  ;  your  father's  place  would 
hardly  sell  for  enough  to  pay  the  debt." 

"  But  this  boat  is  mine,"  pleaded  Lawry,  over 
whelmed  by  the  calamity  which  had  befallen  him. 

"  You  are  a  minor,  Lawry  ;  and  your  father  is 
entitled  by  law  to  all  your  earnings,  as  you  have  a 
claim  on  him  for  your  support.  I  can't  stop  to  ex- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIJT.       217 

plain  this  matter.  The  steamer  is  in  my  possession 
now,  subject  to  the  decree  of  the  court.  I  shall  ap 
point  a  person  as  keeper  to  take  charge  of  her,  and 
run  her  for  the  benefit  of  the  parties  in  interest." 

"  That's  too  bad  !  "   exclaimed  Lawry. 

"  I  know  it  is  ;  but  I  can't  help  it,"  replied  the 
sheriff.  "  I  shall  appoint  your  brother  as  keeper,  and 
frora  this  time  he  has  full  control  of  her.  I  want 
to  make  it  as  easy  as  I  can  for  you." 

It  was  evident  even  to  Lawry,  who  had  not  been 
informed  of  his  brother's  worst  intentions,  that  Ben 
was  at  the  bottom  of  this  conspiracy.  Such  was 
indeed  the  truth.  Mr.  Taylor  was  a  young  man  who 
had  recently  inherited  a  large  fortune,  which,  it  was 
plain,  would  soon  be  squandered,  for  he  was  both 
intemperate  and  reckless.  Ben  had  helped  him  home 
one  night  after  a  drunken  carousal,  which  had  been 
the  beginning  of  an  intimacy  between  them,  for  the 
younger  tippler  was  not  one  to  neglect  an  opportunity 
to  secure  a  wealthy  friend. 

They  had  talked  together  about  the  Woodville  on 
several  occasions,  and  Ben  had  suggested  in  what 
manner  he  might  obtain  the  debt  due  him.  On  the 
19 


218  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

night  before  the  visit  of  the  sheriff  to  the  steamer, 
the  malignant  and  jealous  brother  had  repeated  to  his 
dissipated  patron  the  story  of  his  grievances  —  that 
he  was  a  "  nobody  "  at  home,  and  that  Lawry  wanted 
to  make  a  deck  hand  of  him.  Though  not  a  badly 
disposed  man  in  the  main,  Taylor  listened  with  in 
terest  and  sympathy  to  the  exaggerated  and  distorted 
narrative,  and  the  plan  by  which  Ben  was  to  be  put 
in  possession  of  the  steamer  was  matured. 

The  creditor  went  to  a  lawyer,  one  of  his  boon 
companions,  who  was  quite  willing  to  make  business 
for  himself;  and  he  had  looked  up  the  law  and  arranged 
the  facts,  by  which  he  expected  to  hold  the  steamer. 
Doubtless  it  was  a  very  ingenious  scheme,  and  per 
haps  it  is  unfortunate  that  the  case  never  came  to 
trial,  for  it  involved  some  interesting  legal  points. 
Thus  far  the  design  had  been  carried  out,  and  Ben 
was  in  command  of  the  steamer,  as  an  employee  of 
the  sheriff,  who  was  responsible  to  the  court  for  her 
safe  keeping. 

"  I  won't  be  as  hard  with  you,  Lawry,  as  you 
were  with  me,"  said  Ben,  in  a  low  tone,  as  he  walked 
up  to  Lawry  in  the  wheel-house,  to  which  he  had  re 
treated  to  hide  his  confusion. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       219 

"  This  is  your  work,  Ben,"  replied  the  poor  youth, 
bitterly. 

"  I  was  bound  to  have  the  command  of  this  steam 
er,  and  I  have  got  it,"  added  Ben,  with  malignant 
triumph. 

"  I  know  you  have  ;  you  put  Mr.  Taylor  up  to 
this,  or  he  never  would  have  done  it." 

"  Don't  snarl  about  it,  Lawry  ;  the  thing  is  done, 
and  you  can't  help  yourself.  The  sheriff  has  given 
me  the  command  of  the  boat." 

"  And  he  has  attached  the  place.  Mother  will  be 
turned  out  of  house  and  home  !  "  cried  Lawry,  unable 
to  repress  his  tears. 

"  No,   she  won't ;  that  will  be  all  right." 

"  O,  Ben  !     How  could  you  do  it  ?  " 

"  You  drove  me  to  it.  It  is  all  your  fault,  Lawry  ; 
so  you  needn't  whine  about  it.  Don't  make  a  fuss  ; 
here  comes  Taylor." 

"  I  don't  want  to  see  him,"  said  Lawry,  moving 
towards  the  door. 

"  Don't  go  off;  I'm  going  to  take  Taylor  and  his 
friends  up  the  lake,  to  give  them  a  sail." 

"  The  boat  is  engaged  to  Mr.  Sherwood,  to-day." 


220  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  I  can't  help  it ;  he  will  not  have  her  to-day. 
Come,  Lawry,  be  a  man.  I  won't  be  as  hard  with 
you,  I  say,  as  you  were  with  me.  I  don't  ask  you 
to  be  a  deck  hand.  You  shall  be  the  pilot  still." 

"No,  I  won't." 

"  Won't  you  ?  " 

"  I  will  not,"  said  Lawry,  firmly,  as  he  dried  his 
tears.  "  The  boat  is  engaged  to  Mr.  Sherwood,  and 
he  has  invited  a  party  to  go  with  him.  They  were 
to  start  at  nine  o'clock,  and  they  will  be  down  here 
soon." 

"  Can't  help  it.  I  promised  to  take  Taylor  and 
his  friends  out,  and  they  are  all  here  now.  There 
are  the  stores  for  his  party,"  replied  Ben,  as  a 
couple  of  men  brought  a  large  basket  on  board,  from 
the  top  of  which  protruded  the  necks  of  a  demijohn 
and  several  bottles. 

"  I  shall  not  go  with  that  party,"  added  Lawry, 
decidedly  ;  and  the  "  stores "  which  came  on  board 
assured  him  what  kind  of  a  time  the  passengers 
would  have. 

"  But  I  want  a  pilot,''  said  Ben,  whose  plans  were 
entirely  defeated  by  the  refusal  of  Lawry,  for  there 


THE    YOUKG    PILOT    OP    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        221 

was  not  another  person,  within  ten  miles  of  the  spot, 
who  was  competent  to  navigate  the  Woodville. 

"What's  the  trouble,  Wilford  ?"  demanded  Tay 
lor,  approaching  the  spot. 

"  Let  me  tell  him  you  will  go,  Lawry  ?  "  whispered 
Ben.  "  He  may  be  hard  on  you  if  you  don't." 

"  I  will  not  go.  I  must  see  Mr.  Sherwood  at 
once  ;  "  and  the  pilot  hastened  down  from  the  wheel- 
house. 

"  What's  the  matter  ? "  asked  Ethan,  to  whom  a 
rumor  of  what  had  happened  had  come. 

Lawry  was  explaining  what  had  occurred,  when 
Ben  came  down  with  Taylor. 

"  I  shall  not  go  in  her  till  I  have  seen  Mr.  Sher 
wood,"  added  Lawry,  as  he  finished  his  brief  state 
ment. 

"  Then  I  shall  not,"  replied  Ethan. 

"  I  can  steer  her  myself,"  said  Ben  to  Taylor. 

"  Certainly  you  can." 

"  Mr.  Sh?r\vood  will  be  down  soon,  and  we  must 
be  off  before  he  gets  here." 

"  Go  up,  and  start  her  then,"  added  Taylor. 

Without  noticing  Lawry  and  Ethan,  Ben  rushed 
19* 


222  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

up  to  the  wheel-house,  and  ordered  the  deck  hands 
to  cast  off  the  fasts,  which  was  done.  He  knew  how 
to  steer  a  boat,  and  understood  the  bells,  having  had 
considerable  experience  on  board  the  large  steamers. 
He  rang  to  back  her,  supposing  Ethan  Avas  at  his 
post  in  the  engine-room. 

She  did  not  back,  and  he  rang  again,  but  with  no 
better  success  than  before. 

"  Back  her  ! "  shouted  he,  through  the  speaking- 
tube. 

There  was  no  answer ;  arid,  filled  with  anger,  the 
new  captain  rushed  down  to  the  engine-room  to 
"  blow  up "  the  engineer.  He  found  Ethan  on  the 
main  deck. 

"What  are  you  doing  there?"  demanded  Ben- 
"Don't  you  hear  the  bells?" 

"  I  heard  them,"  replied  Ethan,  quietly. 

"Why  don't  you  start  her,  then?" 

"  I've  nothing  to  do  with  her." 

"  Don't  you  run  that  engine  ? " 

"  I  don't." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  '* 

"  I  mean  that  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
engine  as  things  are  now." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       223 

Ben  raved  and  stormed  at  Ethan  ;  then  he  tried 
to  coax  him  to  take  his  place  ;  but  the  engineer  Avas 
as  firm  as  the  pilot  had  been.  Taylor  offered  him 
ten  dollars  if  he  would  run  the  engine  that  day ; 
but  he  positively  refused.  The  new  captain  then 
went  down  to  the  fire-room,  where  the  man  in  charge 
of  the  furnaces  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
engineer. 

"  Now  we  can  go  it,"  said  Ben,  as  he  hurried  back 
to  the  Avheel-house. 

"  No  ;  don't  start  her,"  said  the  sheriff,  who  was 
one  of  the  party. 

"Why  not?" 

"  I  am  responsible  for  the  safety  of  this  boat, 
and  she  shall  not  go  Avith  neither  pilot  nor  engineer." 

Taylor  and  the  new  captain  swore  terribly ;  but  the 
sheriff  was  immovable. 


224  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 


CHAPTER     XVI. 

THE    EXCURSION    TO    WHITEHALL. 

LAWRY  was  no  lawyer,  and  was  therefore  unable 
to  form  an  opinion  in  regard  to  the  legality  of  the 
steps  by  which  the  "Woodville  had  been  taken  from 
him.  It  was  an  accomplished  fact,  and  he  was  as 
disconsolate  as  though  he  had  lost  his  best  friend. 
He  went  on  shore,  and  until  the  peremptory  order 
of  the  sheriff  was  given,  he  expected  to  see  the 
steamer  shoot  out  from  the  wharf,  and  disappear 
beyond  the  point,  in  charge  of  another  person  than 
himself. 

He  had  refused  to  pilot  the  steamer  under  the 
new  order  of  things,  not  because  he  wished  to  be 
spiteful  to  his  brother,  but  because  he  was  smarting 
under  a  sense  of  injustice,  which  unfitted  him  for 
the  duty.  Though  he  did  not  comprehend  the  legal 
measures  which  had  been  taken,  he  felt  that  there 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       225 

was  something  wrong.  The  Woodville  belonged  to 
him,  not  to  his  father  ;  and  though  he  was  willing  to 
give  all  his  earnings  for  the  support  of  the  family, 
and  even  to  pay  off  the  mortgage  on  the  place,  he 
felt  that  it  was  not  right  to  take  the  steamer  from 
him. 

He  stood  on  the  wharf,  paralyzed  by  the  calamity 
which  had  overtaken  him.  He  wanted  to  do  some 
thing,  but  he  did  not  know  what  to  do.  The  sheriff, 
by  his  caution,  had  defeated  the  plans  of  the  new 
captain,  and  Lawry  was  waiting  to  see  what  would 
happen  next.  He  wished  to  see  Mr.  Sherwood,  and 
he  would  have  hastened  up  to  his  house  if  he  could 
have  endured  the  thought  of  losing  sight  of  the 
steamer  even  for  a  moment.  Ethan  was  still  on 
deck,  for  though  he  refused  to  run  the  engine,  he 
felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  stand  by  and  see  that  no 
accident  happened,  for  the  steam  was  up,  and  the 
fireman  was  an  unskilful  person. 

Ben  "Wilford  and  Taylor  were  disappointed  and 
chagrined  at  their  failure  to  get  off.  They  stormed 
and  swore,  till  it  was  apparent  that  storming  and 
ewearing  would  not  start  the  steamer.  The  sheriff 


226  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

positively  refused  to  let  the  boat  depart  "without  a 
competent  pilot  and  engineer,  especially  after  he  had 
noticed  the  contents  of  the  basket,  from  which  pro 
truded  the  necks  of  the  demijohn  and  the  bottles. 
It  was  to  be  a  drunken  party,  and  the  steamer  would 
not  be  safe  in  their  hands. 

"What  shall  we  do,  Wilford?"  said  Taylor. 
"  Can't  you  persuade  your  brother  to  take  hold 
again  ?  " 

"  He's  as  obstinate  as  a  mule ;  but  I'll  try,"  re 
plied  Ben,  as  he  went  on  the  wharf,  followed  by  the 
dissipated  creditor,  who  was  very  unwilling  to  relin 
quish  the  prospect  of  the  good  time  he  anticipated. 

"  Offer  him  twenty  dollars  for  his  day's  work," 
added  Taylor. 

"  I  may  be  able  to  compromise  with  him,  if  you're 
willing." 

"  Anything  you  please,  if  you  can  make  him  and 
the  other  fellow  go  with  us." 

"  Lawry,  Mr.  Taylor  Avill  give  you  twenty  dollars 
if  you  will  pilot  the  steamer  to-day,"  said  Ben,  as  he 
stepped  up  to  his  brother. 

"  I  wouldn't  go  for  a  hundred,"  replied  the  young 
pilot.  "  I  won't  go  with  you  at  any  rate." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OP    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       227 

"  Don't  be  so  obstinate,  Lawry." 

"  I  engaged  the  boat  to  Mr.  Sherwood,  and  I  will 
not  go  with  anybody  else." 

"  Mr.  Sherwood  won't  care  when  he  finds  out  that 
you  are  not  to  blame.  You  can't  resist  the  law,  and 
it  isn't  your  fault." 

"  Ben,  I  wouldn't  do  what  you  have  done  for  all 
the  steamers  on  the  lake.  You  have  got  this  man  to 
attach  the  property,  and  take  the  house  away  from 
mother,  just  because  you  wanted  to  be  captain  of  this 
steamer." 

"  What's  the  use  of  talking  about  that,  Lawry  ?  " 
replied  Ben,  impatiently.  "  I'm.  going  to  be  captain 
of  this  steamer,  anyhow  ;  and  the  sooner  you  make 
up  -your  mind  to  it,  the  better  it  will  be  for  you." 

"  I  can't  help  myself." 

"  I  know  you  can't,  and  for  that  reason  you  had 
better  submit  with  a  good  grace.  If  you  will  take 
your  place  in  the  wheel-house,  Mr.  Taylor  will  re 
move  the  attachment." 

"Will  he?" 

"  I  will,"  replied  Taylor. 

"  And  put  everything  where  it  was  before  ?  "  asked 
Lawry. 


228  HASTE    ^ND    WASTE,    OB 

"  Of  course  I  am  to  be  captain,  and  Mr.  Taylor  is 
to  have  the  boat  to-day,"  added  Ben. 

"  Mr.  Taylor  can't  have  her  to-day,"  said  Lawry, 
firmly.  "  I  engaged  her  to  Mr.  Sherwood,  and  if 
anybody  has  her  to-day,  he  must.  That's  all  I  want 
to  say  about  it  now." 

The  young  pilot  turned  on  his  heel  and  walked 
away.  His  brother  and  the  creditor  were  conspira 
tors,  and  he  wanted  nothing  to  do  with  them.  He 
might  have  been  less  resolute,  if  he  had  not  seen  Mr. 
Sherwood's  carriage  stop  at  the  head  of  the  wharf. 

"  Are  you  all  ready,  Lawry  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Sherwood. 

Ths  poor  boy  could  make  no  reply  ;  he  burst  into 
tears,  and  turned  away  from  his  kind  friend. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Lawry  ? "  demanded  Mr. 
Sherwood,  greatly  astonished  at  this  singular  demon 
stration. 

"  I  suppose  he  feels  bad,  sir,"  interposed  the  sher 
iff.  "  The  boat  has  been  attached  for  his  father's 
debts." 

"  For  his  father's  debts !  "  exclaimed  the  rich 
gentleman. 

The  officer  gave  him  a  full  explanation  of  the  case. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       229 

"  This  will  never  do,"  added  Mr.  Sherwood,  indig 
nantly.  "  This  boat  is  Lawry's  property  in  his  own 
right." 

"  I  think  not,"  added  Taylor,  who  enjoyed  the 
confusion  of  Lawry's  powerful  friend.  "  Here's  my 
lawyer  ;  he  can  explain  the  matter  to  you." 

"  No  explanation  is  needed,"  replied  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  The  boy  is  a  minor,"  said  the  legal  gentleman, 
who  had  been  invited  to  join  his  client  in  the  excur 
sion  in  the  Woodville,  and  was  therefore  one  of  the 
disappointed  party. 

"  He  may  need  a  guardian,  nothing  more,  to  enable 
him  to  hold  the  property." 

"Perhaps  you  are  more  familiar  with  the  law  than 
I  am,  Mr.  Sherwood,"  said  the  legal  gentleman, 
pompously.  "  You  gave  this  boat  to  the  boy." 

"  I  did." 

"  While  she  lay  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake  she  was 
worth  nothing.  She  was  an  abandoned  wreck.  If 
you  had  any  property  at  all  in  her,  it  was  subject  to 
the  salvage.  Lawry  Wilford  raised  her.  I  suppose 
you  are  willing  to  believe  that  the  boy's  father  is 
entitled  to  his  earnings  r "' 
20 


230  HASTE    AND   WASTE,    OR 

"  I  grant  that." 

"  Well,  sir,  whatever  the  boy  earned  in  the  way  of 
salvage  belongs  to  his  father  ;  and  we  sue  to  recover 
that." 

"  This  is  a  ridiculous  suit !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Sher 
wood. 

"  Perhaps  it  is,  sir,  but  we  shall  hold  the  boat, 
subject  to  the  decision  of  the  court." 

Mr.  Sherwood  was  vexed  and  perplexed ;  for, 
whether  the  claim  could  be  substantiated  or  not, 
the  Woodville  could  be  held  until  a  decision  was 
reached.  Lawry  then  took  him  aside,  and  told  him 
what  his  brother  had  done,  in  order  to  make  himself 
captain  of  the  steamer. 

"  Is  that  it,  Lawry  ?  I'm  more  sorry  for  your 
brother's  sake  than  I  am  for  yours.  I  pity  him, 
because  he  has  been  capable  of  doing  so  mean  a 
thing.  Don't  distress  yourself,  my  boy.  We  will 
make  this  all  right  in  the  course  of  ten  minutes." 

"  But  they  have  taken  the  steamer  away  from  me, 
and  given  her  up  to  Ben,  who  is  to  take  charge 
of  her." 

"  Never  mind,  Lawry.     They  shall  give  her  back 


THE    YOUKG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       231 

to  you,"  replied  the  rich  man,  as  he  walked  up  to 
the  lawyer.  "  How  much  is  your  claim  against 
Mr.  Wilfordr" 

"  One  thousand  and  sixty-four  dollars,"  answered 
the  legal  gentleman. 

"  Will  you  take  my  draft  or  check  for  the  amount?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  I  see  you  are  not  disposed  to  be  accommodating." 

"  We  intend  to  have  the  first  sail  in  this  steamer," 
sneered  Taylor. 

"  I  intend  you  shall  not,"  said  Mr.  Sherwood. 

Unfortunately  he  had  not  money  enough  with  him 
to  discharge  the  claim  against  the  ferryman,  which,  as 
it  was  a  just  debt,  whatever  might  be  said  of  the 
means  taken  to  recover  it,  he  had  decided  to  pay, 
rather  than  give  bonds  for  the  steamer,  and  contest 
the  attachment.  He  had  invited  several  gentlemen  to 
accompany  him  up  the  lake  in  the  Woodville,  who 
were  now  on  the  wharf,  and  from  them  he  borrowed 
enough  to  make  up  the  sum  required.  The  mone)' 
was  given  to  Mrs.  Wilford,  with  instructions  to  go  to 
a  certain  lawyer  in  the  village,  and  employ  him  to  see 
that  the  mortgage  on  the  house  and  land  was  properly 
cancelled. 


232  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

"  When  we  get  our  money,  the  attachment  on  the 
boat  can  be  dissolved,  not  before,"  said  the  lawyer. 
"  Mr.  Sheriff,  the  debt  is  not  paid  yet." 

"  I  will  put  the  money  in  your  hands,  if  you 
desire,"  added  Mr.  Sherwood  to  the  sheriff. 

"  I  am  satisfied.  You  may  go  where  you  please 
with  the  boat,  and  as  soon  as  you  please,"  replied  the 
official,  who  was  not  disposed  to  cause  any  needless 
trouble. 

"  She  will  not  go  till  this  claim  is  settled,  Mr. 
Sheriff,"  remonstrated  the  legal  gentleman. 

"  She  may  go  now,"  responded  the  officer.  "  Ben 
Wilford,  your  services  will  not  be  needed.  Now, 
gentlemen,  we  will  go  up  to  the  village  and  settle  the 
bills."  • 

The  lawyer  protested  that  the  attachment  could 
not  be  removed  till  the  debt  had  been  paid  ;  but 
the  sheriff  was  willing  to  take  the  responsibility  of 
releasing  the  boat. 

"  All  aboard,  Lawry  !  "  shouted  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  I  didn't  expect  you  to  do  this,  sir,"  said  the 
young  pilot ;  "  but  I  will  pay  you  every  dollar,  if  the 
steamer  ever  earns  so  much." 


THE    YOUXG.  PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       233 

"  "We  will  talk  about  that  some  other  time,  my 
boy.  We  are  all  ready  to  be  off  now." 

Lawry,  with  a  light  heart,  sprung  to  his  place  in 
the  wheel-house  ;  Ethan  was  already  at  his  post  in 
the  engine-room,  and  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of 
the  party  hastened  on  board. 

"  Put  that  basket  ashore,"  said  Lawry  to  the 
deck  hands,  as  he  pointed  to  the  "  stores  "  of  the 
party  who  had  expected  to  revel  that  day  on  the 
decks  of  the  Woodville. 

The  basket  was  tumbled  on  the  wharf,  to  the  im 
minent  peril  of  the  glass  ware  it  contained.  Ben 
Wilford  stood  on  the  pier,  leaning  against  one  of  the 
posts  to  which  the  steamer  was  fastened.  He  looked 
sour  and  disappointed. 

"  Cast  off  the  bow  line,"  said  Lawry,  when  all 
was  ready. 

At  this  moment  Ben  jumped  on  board. 

"  Stop  her  !  "  said  Mr.  Sherwood,  sharply,  as 
Lawry  rang  the  bell  to  back  her. 

"What's  the  matter,  sir?"  asked  the  pilot. 

"  Young  man,"  said  Mr.  Sherwood,  stepping  up 
20* 


234  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

to  Ben  "Wilford,  "  you  will  oblige  me  by  going  on 
shore." 

"  "What  for  ?  "   demanded  Ben,  crustily. 

"  We  do  not  need  your  company." 

"But  I  want  to  go." 

"  I  do  not  wish  you  to  go." 

"  I  think  it  is  rather  steep  for  you  to  tell  me  I 
can't  go  in  my  brother's  boat." 

"  Steep  as  it  may  seem,  you  can't  go,"  added 
Mr.  Sherwood,  firmly. 

"  Can't  I  go,  Lawry  ?  "  continued  Ben,  appealing 
to  his  brother. 

"  It  is  not  for  him  to  say.  I  have  engaged  this 
boat  for  my  party  to-day ;  and,  beyond  his  crew,  it 
is  not  for  him  to  say  who  shall  go." 

"  I'm  going,  anyhow,"  replied  Ben,  stubbornly 
as  he  planted  himself  against  a  stanchion. 

'*  No,  you  are  not." 

"  Yes,  I  am  ;  if  you  want  to  fight,  I'm  all  ready." 

"  Young  man,  you  wanted  to  be  captain  of  this 
boat ;  you  have  made  a  mistake." 

"  Xo,  I  haven't.  You  and  Lawry  can't  make  a 
nobody  out  of  me." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.'     235 

"  You  will  do  it  yourself." 

"  You  see." 

"  Will  you  go  on  shore  ?  " 

"  No,  I  won't." 

The  sheriff  stood  on  the  wharf  with  Mrs.  Wilford, 
waiting  to  see  the  departure  of  the  Woodville.  Ben's 
mother  begged  him  to  come  on  shore  ;  but  he  was 
in  that  frame  of  mind  which  seemed  to  make  oppo 
sition  a  necessity  to  him. 

"  Dp  you  want  any  assistance,  Mr.  Sherwood  ? " 
asked  the  sheriff,  as  he  stepped  on  deck,  and  looked 
sharply  into  Ben's  eye. 

The  reckless  young  man  would  have  been  very 
glad  to  have  Mr.  Sherwood  put  his  hand  upon  him, 
for  it  would  have  afforded  him  an  opportunity  to 
revenge  himself  for  his  disappointment.  It  was  an 
other  thing  to  raise  his  hand  against  an  officer  of 
the  law,  and  he  sullenly  walked  up  the  gang-plank 
when  that  formidable  individual  intimated  his  read 
iness  to  relieve  the  boat  of  her  unwelcome  passenger. 

"  Haul  in  the  plank,  and  cast  off  the  bow  line," 
said  Lawry ;  but  he  was  choking  with  emotion  as 
he  felt  what  a  terrible  thing  it  was  to  have  his  own 
brother  at  enmity  with  him. 


236     «  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

He  rang  the  bell  to  back  her,  and  when  her  bow 
pointed  out  from  the  shore,  the  stern  line  was  cast 
off,  and  she  moved  slowly  away  from  the  wharf. 

"  I'm  sorry  your  brother  behaves  so  badly,  Lawry," 
said  Mr.  Sherwood,  entering  the  wheel-house,  when 
the  steamer  started. 

"  It  makes  me  sick  to  think  of  it,  sir,"  replied 
the  pilot.  "  I'm  really  afraid  of  him,  for  I  don't 
know  what  he  will  do  next." 

"  Do  your  duty,  faithfully  ;  that  is  all  you-  need 
do." 

"  I  feel  almost  sorry  I  didn't  let  him  be  captain, 
when  I  think  the  matter  over." 

"  He  is  not  fit  to  be  captain ;  and  you  did  quite 
right  in  not  consenting  to  it.  I'm  sorry  for  you, 
Lawry,  and  sorry  for  your  mother,  for  he  must  be 
a  sore  trial  to  both  of  you." 

"  If  he  wasn't  my  brother  I  wouldn't  care,"  added 
Lawry,  restraining  the  tears  which  were  gathering 
in  his  eyes. 

"  Never  mind  it,  my  boy ;  we  won't  say  anything 
more  about  it.  Let  us  hope  your  brother  will  grow 
better." 


THE    YOUNG     PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMP.LAIN.       237 

"  I  hope  he  will,  sir." 

The  Woodville  was  now  going  at  full  speed  up 
ths  lake.  The  party  on  board  consisted  of  twenty- 
four  ladies  and  gentlemen,  most  of  whom  were  sum 
mer  visitors  at  Port  Rock.  They  were  delighted 
with  the  beautiful  little  craft,  and  glad  to  know 
that  she  could  be  obtained  for  pleasure  parties  during 
the  summer.  They  wandered  about  the  deck,  sa 
loon,  and  cabin  till  they  had  examined  every  part 
of  her,  and  then  they  gave  themselves  up  to  the 
enjoyment  of  the  sail,  and  of  the  magnificent  scenery 
on  the  borders  of  the  lake. 

They  seated  themselves  under  the  awning  on  the 
forward  deck,  and  Lawry  pointed  out  the  objects 
of  interest  as  the  steamer  proceeded ;  and  in  this 
occupation  he  forgot  the  conduct  of  Ben,  and  was 
as  happy  as  the  happiest  of  the  party  before  him. 
The  ladies  and  gentlemen  sang  songs  and  psalm 
tunes,  in  which  the  sweet  voice  of  Fanny  Jane 
Grant  was  so  prominent  that  Ethan  was  once  en 
ticed  from  the  fascinating  engine  which  occupied  all 
his  thoughts. 

In  the  mean  time  Mrs.  Light  was  busy  with  the 


238  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

dinner.  Captain  Lawry  was  a  little  uneasy  on  this 
subject,  for  it  was  out  of  his  line  of  business.  In 
the  middle  of  the  forenoon  he  gave  the  wheel  to 
one  of  the  deck  hands,  and  went  down  into  the 
kitchen  to  satisfy  himself  that  this  important  matter 
was  receiving  due  attention.  The  cook  was  so  con 
fident  and  enthusiastic  that  he  was  quite  sure  she 
would  realize  the  expectations  of  the  passengers. 
In  the  cabin  he  found  the  girls  busy  at  the  tables. 
Both  of  them  had  seen  service  in  hotels,  and  there 
was  no  danger  of  a  failure  in  their  department.  At 
one  o'clock  dinner  was  on  the  table,  and  the  young 
captain  went  down  again  to  assure  himself  that  it 
was  all  right. 

"  Come,  Lawry,  can't   you    dine  with   us  ? "   said 
Mr.  Sherwood,  when  the  bell  had  been  rung. 
"  I  can't  leave  the  wheel,  sir." 
"  But  don't  you  want  some  dinner  ?  " 
"  I'll  have  my  dinner  when '  we  get  to  Whitehall. 
Haste  makes  waste,  you  know ;   and  if  I  should  be 
in  a  hurry  to  eat  my  dinner  we  might  get  aground, 
or  be  smashed  up  on  the  rocks." 

"  I  suppose  you  are  right,  Lawry,  and   I  will  do 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       239 

the  honors  of  the  table  for  you,"  laughed  Mr. 
Sherwood. 

The  dinner  was  not  only  satisfactory,  but  it  was 
warmly  praised  ;  and  Mrs.  Light  was  made  as  happy 
as  the  captain  by  the  enthusiastic  encomiums  be 
stowed  upon  her  taste  and  skill  in  the  culinary  art. 

•The  Woodville  reached  Whitehall  at  two  o'clock, 
where  the  party  went  on  shore  to  spend  an  hour. 
While  they  were  absent  Lawry  and  all  hands  had 
their  dinner,  the  cabins  and  the  deck  were  swept, 
and  everything  put  in  order.  Quite  a  number  of 
people  visited  the  little  steamer  while  she  lay  at 
the  pier ;  and  a  gentleman  engaged  her  to  take  out 
a  party  the  next  Saturday,  with  dinner  for  twenty- 
four  persons.  When  Mr.  Sherwood  returned,  he  had 
let  her  for  another  day. 

At  three  o'clock  the  WToodville  started  for  Port 
Rock.  The  party  were  still  in  high  spirits,  and  the 
singing  was  resumed  when  the  wheels  began  to 
turn.  On  the  way  down,  she  stopped  at  Ticonde- 
roga,  while  her  appearance  so  delighted  a  party  of 
pleasure-seekers  that  she  was  engaged  for  another 
day,  and  a  dinner  for  twenty  spoken  for. 


240  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Lawry,  you  must  have  an  engagement  book,  or 
you  will  forget  some  of  your  parties,"  said  Mr. 
Sherwood,  who  stood  by  the  pilot,  in  the  wheel- 
house,  when  the  steamer  started. 

"  I  have  put  them  all  down  on  a  piece  of  paper, 
sir.  I  will  get  a  book  when  I  go  to  Burlington." 

"  Which  will  be  to-morrow.  I  had  engaged  her 
for  four  days  when  you  came  up  with  her  from 
Port  Henry ;  but  I'm  afraid  we  shall  work  you  too 
hard." 

"  No  fear  of  that,  sir.  I  only  hope  I  shall  be 
able  to  pay  you  that  money  you  advanced  this 
morning." 

"  Don't  say  a  word  about  that.  Let  me  see : 
you  are  engaged  in  Burlington  to-morrow,  to  me 
the  next  day,  and  in  Whitehall  on  the  following 
day." 

"  I  will  get  a  book  and  put  them  down,  sir." 

"  But  you  must  be  in  Burlington  by  eight  o'clock 
to-morrow  morning." 

"  We  can  run  up  to-night." 

"  You  will  get  no  sleep  if  you  run  all  night." 

"  I  think  we  shall  want  another  fireman." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF     LAKE    CHAMPLATN.       241 

"  You  will ;    for  in   order   to   keep   your    engage 
ments  you  will  occasionally  have  to  run  nights." 

At   eight   o'clock    the  Woodville  landed  her  pas 
sengers    at  Port  Rock,  and   as  the   gentlemen  went 
ashore,  they  gave  three  cheers  for  the  little  steamer 
and  her  little  captain. 
21 


242  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 


CHAPTER     XVII. 

BURLINGTON    TO    ISLE    LA    MOTTE. 

ON  his  way  home,  Mr.  Sherwood  went  to  the 
ferry-house  and  satisfied  himself  that  the  mortgage 
on  the  place  had  been  cancelled.  Mrs.  Wilford  was 
profuse  in  the  expression  of  her  gratitude  to  him 
for  his  kindness  to  the  family,  and  hoped  that  Lawry 
and  his  father  would  be  able  to  pay  him  back 
the  whole  sum. 

"  Mrs.  Wilford,  so  far  as  gratitude  and  obligation 
are  concerned,  the  balance  is  still  largely  against  me. 
Millions  of  dollars  would  not  pay  the  debt  I  owe  to 
your  son." 

"  O,  Lawry  don't  think  anything  of  that,  sir  ! " 

"  But  I  do.  Madam,  if  your  son  had  been  five 
minutes  later  than  he  was  when  the  little  steamer 
went  down,  Miss  Fanny  Grant  would  certainly  have 
been  drowned,  and  my  wife  would  doubtless  have 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLATX         243 

shared  her  fate.  And  when  I  think  that  this  exposure 
of  their  precious  lives  was  my  own  fault ;  that  my 
wife  and  her  sister  had  nearly  perished  by  my  foolish 
haste  and  recklessness,  I  feel  like  giving  every  dollar 
I  have  in  the  world  to  Lawry.  You  don't  understand 
this  matter  as  I  do,  Mrs.  Wilford." 

"  I  didn't  think  you  were  in  any  great  danger." 

"  Miss  Fanny  would  certainly  have  been  drowned  ; 
and  I  don't  think  it  would  have  been  possible  for  me 
to  save  my  wife,  for  I  was  nearly  exhausted  when 
Lawry  came.  Now,  Mrs.  Wilford,  do  you  suppose 
I  shall  mind  one,  two,  or  ten  thousand  dollars,  where 
my  brave  deliverer  is  concerned.  In  one  word,  I  will 
never  take  a  dollar  which  I  have  expended  for  Lawry 
or  the  family.  Your  son  is  a  manly  and  independent 
boy,  and  I  don't  like  to  hurt  his  feelings  ;  so  I  shall 
not  say  anything  about  this  money  at  present." 

"Lawry  is  a  good  boy,"  said  Mrs.  Wilford,  proudly. 

"  He  is  worth  his  weight  in  gold.  I  am  sorry  your 
oldest  son  is  not  more  like  him." 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  think  of  Benjamin." 

"  Where  is  he  now  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  I  haven't  seen  him  since  the 
steamer  left  this  morning." 


244  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Lawry  is  a  good  deal  troubled  about  the  ferry 
boat." 

"  He  needn't  be." 

"  Can  you  hire  a  man  to  run  the  boat  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  can  get  a  boy  who  will  do  it  for  half  a 
dollar  a  day,  and  be  glad  of  the  chance.  I  will 
engage  one." 

"  Lawry  goes  to  Burlington  to-night  to  take  out  a 
party  to-morrow." 

"  To-night ? " 

"  Yes  ;  he  must  be  there  by  eight  in  the  morning." 

Mrs.  Wilford  thought  her  son  was  having  a  hard 
time  with  the  steamer  ;  but  she  knew  he  would  be 
satisfied  as  long  as  he  was  doing  well.  Mr.  Sher 
wood,  assured  that  there  was  nothing  at  home  to 
detain  the  young  pilot,  left  the  house.  Lawry  soon 
after  entered  ;  but  he  had  notxtime  to  tell  his  mother 
the  particulars  of  his  first  trip  on  the  Woodville. 
He  could  remain  but  a  few  moments,  while  the  hands 
were  "  coaling  up,"  from  a  cargo  of  coal  deposited 
on  the  wharf  that  day,  by  the  order  of  Mr.  Sherwood. 

At  nine  o'clock  everything  was  ready  for  the  de 
parture.  The  fireman  grumbled,  not  without  reason, 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       245 

at  being  called  upon  to  work  at  night ;  but  Lawry 
promised  to  get  another  man  to  keep  watch  and 
watch  with  him  as  soon  as  he  could.  It  was  a  long 
day's  work  for  all  hands  who  were  needed  in  running 
the  boat.  When  the  young  captain  had  gone  to  the 
wheel-house  to  start  the  boat,  Mr.  Sherwood  rushed 
down  the  wharf,  and  jumped  aboard. 

"  I  was  afraid  I  should  be  too  late,"  said  he,  as 
Lawry  met  him  on  the  main  deck.  "  I  have  been 
all  over  the  village  to  find  you  another  fireman,  and 
I  have  succeeded  in  getting  you  a  first-rate  one  —  an 
old  hand  at  the  business." 

"  Thank  you,  sir  ;  you  are  taking  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  for  me." 

"  There's  another  thing  I  quite  forgot ;  I  didn't 
pay  you  for  the  trip  nor  the  dinners.  Here  is  the 
money." 

"  I  can't  take  it,  Mr.  Sherwood,"  protested  Captain 
Lawry. 

"  But  you  must  take  it ;  if  you  don't  I  can't 
engage  the  boat  again." 

"  Not  from  you,  sir." 

"  I  am  more  interested  than  any  other  person  in 
21* 


246  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OK 

your  success  with  the  steamer,  and  I  insist  that  you 
take  the  money." 

"  I  owe  you  for  this  cargo  of  coal,  now." 

"That  was  a  present  from  Miss  Fanny  Grant." 

"  She  is  very  generous." 

"  Generous  !  If  she  doesn't  do  more  than  that  for 
you,  I  shall  be  ashamed  of  her.  By  the  way,  Cap 
tain,  she  paid  the  bill  for  repairing  the  steamer  at 
Port  Henry." 

"  Indeed  ! "  exclaimed  Lawry,  who  had  intended 
to  discharge  this  debt  with  the  first  money  he  earned. 
"  She  is  very  kind.  I  don't  deserve  so  much  from 
her  and  you." 

"  More,  my  boy.  We  haven't  done  anything  at 
my  house  but  talk  about  you  for  a  week.  Now,  you 
must  be  reasonable.  We  intended  to  give  you  a 
good  start.  Miss  Grant  wishes  to  put  an  upright 
piano-forte  in  the  saloon.  There  is  just  room  for  it 
at  the  end  of  the  state-room  on  the  starboard  side. 
When  that  is  put  in,  we  shall  let  you  alone.  Now, 
Lawry,  take  this  money  ;  if  you  don't,  I  shall  be 
offended." 

"  I  don't  like  to  do  so,"  pleaded  Lawry.  "  It 
makes  me  feel  mean." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF   LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.        24? 

"  It  need  not ;  take  it,  Lawry,  for  you  will  want- 
money  to  provision  your  boat  in  the  morning." 

Captain  Lawry  took  it,  though  it  seemed  to  burp 
his  fingers. 

"  Now,  my  boy,  you  shall  have  your  own  way.  I 
will  force  nothing  more  on  you,  except  what  I  fairly 
owe  you,  and  you  shall  make  your  fortune  without 
any  help  or  hinderance  from  anybody." 

"  I  owe  you  now " 

"  Silence,  Lawry ! "  laughed  Mr.  Sherwood.  "  There 
comes  your  second  fireman." 

As  the  man  came  down  the  gang-plank,  he  handed 
Mr.  Sherwood  a  long  package,  done  up  in  brown 
paper. 

"  One  thing  more,  Lawry,"  said  his  munificent 
friend,  as  he  led  the  way  to  the  engine-room,  which 
was  lighted  by  a  lantern.  "  Will  you  let  me  put  this 
sign  up  over  the  front  windows  in  the  wheel-house  : " 

"  Certainly,  sir.     What  is  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  the  motto  of  the  steamer,  and  fully  explains 
how  I  lost  the  boat,"  replied  Mr.  Sherwood,  as  he 
unrolled  the  package. 

It  was  a  small   sign,  about  three  feet  in  length, 


248  HASTE     AXD     WASTE,    OR 

elegantly    painted    and    gilded,    on    which    was    the 

motto,  — 

HASTE    AND    WASTE. 

"  While  you  were  at  Port  Henry,  repairing  the 
boat,  I  went  up  to  Burlington,  where  I  ordered  this 
to  be  done.  It  came  down  to-day,  and  I  want  it 
put  up  in  the  wheel-house,  where  it  will  be  constantly 
before  your  eyes,  as  the  best  axiom  in  the  world  for 
a  steamboat  man.  It  will  be  the  history  of  the 
Woodville  to  you,  and  I  hope  you  will  always  act 
upon  it,  never  running  your  boat  above  a  safe  speed, 
and  never  leaving  your  wharf  when  it  is  imprudent 
to  do  so." 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  those  words  always 
before  me,"  replied  Lawry. 

"  When  you  are  ready  to  go,  captain,  we  are," 
said  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  I'm  all  ready,  sir." 

Lawry  turned,  and  to  his  astonishment  saw  Mrs. 
Sherwood  and  Miss  Fanny,  who  had  been  looking 
over  his  shoulder  at  the  pretty  sign. 

"  We  are  going  with  you,  Captain  Lawry,"  added 
Mr.  Sherwood  ;  "  that  is,  if  you  won't  charge  us 
anything  for  our  passage." 


THE    YOTJXG     PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN. 

"  I  am  very  happy  to  have  you  as  passengers," 
stammered  Lawry. 

"  We  are  so  much  in  love  with  your  little  boat, 
Lawry,  that  we  could  not  stay  away  from  her,"  added 
Mrs.  Sherwood. 

"  And  her  little  captain,"  said  Miss  Fanny. 

Lawry  was  good  for  nothing  at  complimentary 
speeches,  and  he  went  aft  to  give  the  girls  directions 
to.  light  up  the  cabin  and  the  two  state-rooms  for  the 
accommodation  of  his  unexpected  passengers. 

"  Where's  Fanny  Jane  ?  "  asked  Ethan,  when  Mr. 
Sherwood  had  gone  to  the  wheel-house  to  put  up  the 
motto. 

"  She  is  going  to  keep  house  for  us  while  we  are 
gone,"  replied  Miss  Fanny,  mischievously.  "  You 
were  so  unsocial  to-day  she  would  not  come  with  us." 

"  I  had  to  look  out  for  the  engine,"  pleaded  Ethan. 

"  That  was  not  the  reason,  Ethan,"  interposed  Mrs. 
Sherwood.  "  You  behaved  splendidly." 

"  If  you  were  twenty,  instead  of  sixteen,  Ethan,  I 
should  say  you  were  in  love  with  Fanny  Jane," 
laughed  Miss  Fanny. 

"  O,   nonsense  !  "   exclaimed  Ethan,   blushing  be- 


250  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OR 

neath  his  smutty  face.  "  I  like  her,  and  after  what 
\ve  went  through  out  west,  I  don't  think  it  is  very 
strange  I  should." 

"  You  are  right,  Ethan.  She  is  a  good  girl,  and  I 
hope  you  will  like  her  more,  rather  than  less." 

"  The  saloon  is  ready  for  you,  ladies,"  said  Lawry, 
interrupting  this  pleasant  conversation  —  very  pleas 
ant  to  Ethan,  for  without  entering  into  an  analysis 
of  the  young  engineer's  feelings,  it  is  quite  certain  he 
thought  a  great  deal  of  the  companion  of  his  wander 
ings  in  Minnesota  ;  but  fortunately  he  is  not  the  hero 
of  this  book,  and  this  interesting  suggestion  need  not 
be  followed  out  any  farther. 

The  little  captain  conducted  the  ladies  to  the 
saloon,  and  then  hastened  to  the  wheel-house,  where 
Mr.  Sherwood,  by  the  light  of  a  lantern  in  the  hands 
of  one  of  the  boys,  had  screwed  up  the  sign. 

"  Haul  in  the  plank  !  "  shouted  Lawry.  "  Cast 
off  the  bow  line." 

The  Woodville  backed  till  she  was  clear  of  the 
wharf,  and  then  went  ahead.  Lawry  knew  the  lake 
by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  and  he  was  perfectly  at 
home  at  the  wheel,  notwithstanding  the  darkness  that 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       251 

lay  in  the  steamer's  path.  One  of  the  deck  hands 
was  a  boy  of  sixteen,  who  had  served  in  a  similar 
capacity  on  board  the  lake  steamers,  and  was  a  good 
wheelman,  though  he  knew  nothing  of  the  navigation 
of  the  lake,  and  steered  only  by  the  directions  given 
him  from  time  to  time.  Captain  La*wry  called  this 
hand,  and  gave  him  the  wheel,  with  orders  to  run  for 
a  certain  headland  several  miles  distant. 

The  young  captain  went  below  with  Mr.  Sherwood, 
to  make  his  arrangements  for  the  night.  The  second 
fireman  had  already  been  installed  in  the  fire  room  by 
Ethan,  and  the  first  had  gone  forward.  A  portion  of 
the  fore- hold  of  the  steamer  had  been  fitted  up  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  crew.  It  contained  four 
berths,  and  was  well  ventilated  by  a  skylight  in  the 
forecastle.  In  building  the  boat,  Mr.  Sherwood  had 
insisted  upon  having  everything  put  into  her  that  was 
to  be  found  in  larger  craft ;  and  these  quarters  for 
the  hands  were  now  very  convenient,  if  not  indis 
pensable. 

Lawry  gave  one  of  these  berths  to  the  first  fireman, 
and  appropriated  the  other  to  the  use  of  the  second 
and  the  two  deck  hands.  The  second  boy  was 


252  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

gaping  fearfully  on  the  forward  deck,  and  was  quite 
delighted  when  the  captain  told  him  he  might  turn 
in.  On  the  starboard  side  of  the  steamer,  forward 
of  the  wheels,  were  two  very  cunning  little  state 
rooms,  the  corresponding  space  on  the  port  side 
being  occupied  by  the  kitchen  and  store-rooms. 
One  of  these  was  for  the  engineer,  and  the  other 
for  the  captain.  Abaft  the  wheels,  on  each  side,  was 
a  small  state-room,  one  of  which  had  been  designed 
for  the  captain.  Both  of  these  rooms  had  been 
appropriated  to  the  cook  and  the  two  waiter  girls. 
Mrs.  Light,  in  the  apartment  of  the  commander,  was 
quite  delighted  with  her  accommodations  ;  but  Mr. 
Sherwood  declared  that  she  deserved  a  princely  couch 
for  the  good  dinner  she  had  served  that  day. 

The  two  state-rooms  to  be  occupied  by  the  passen 
gers  were  taken  out  of  the  space  that  would  other- 
Avise  have  been  part  of  the  saloon,  and  were  entered 
by  doors  on  each  side  of  a  passage-way  leading  to  it. 
They  were  beautiful  little  rooms,  though  ladies  in  full 
crinoline  might  have  been  somewhat  perplexed  at 
their  contracted  dimensions.  They  were  elegantly 
furnished,  and  Miss  Fanny  declared  that  her  room 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.        253 

made  her  think  of  the  fairy  palaces  for  little  people, 
of  which  she  had  read  in  her  childhood.  There  were 
twelve  berth. s  in  the  lower  cabin,  but  these  were  not 
needed  on  the  present  occasion. 

Having  disposed  of  his  crew  for  the  night,  Lawry 
returned  to  the  wheel-house,  where  he  was  soon 
joined  by  his  passengers,  who  spent  an  hour  with 
him  before  they  retired.  At  half  past  ten  they  went 
to  their  rooms,  and  Lawry  was  alone.  Not  a  sound 
was  to  be  heard  except  the  monotonous  clang  of  the 
engine,  and  the  lake  was  as  silent  in  the  gloom  as 
though  the  shadow  of  death  was  upon  it.  There  was 
a  solemnity  in  the  scene  which  impressed  the  younj 
pilot,  even  accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  night  and 
the  silence.  He  was  worn  out  by  the  labors  and  the 
excitement  of  the  day,  but  he  could  not  resist  the 
inspiration  which  came  from  the  quiet  waters  and 
the  gloomy  shores. 

The  Woodville  sped  on  her  way,  and  at  midnight 
she  was  approaching  the  steamboat  wharf  at  Bur 
lington.  Lawry  rang  to  "  slow  down,"  and  informed 
Ethan  that  the  boat  was  close  to  the  wharf.  The 
"  fires  were  drawn,"  and  in  a  few  moments  more, 
22 


254  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

the  steamer  was  made  fast  to  the  wharf.  After 
satisfying  himself  that  everything  was  secure  on 
board,  the  exhausted  pilot  went  to  his  state-room, 
and  was  soon  fast  asleep.  Ethan  followed  him, 
after  instructing  the  first  fireman  to  get  up  steam 
early  in  the  morning. 

Both  the  pilot  and  the  engineer  slept  till  seven 
o'clock;  but 'when  they  came  out  of  their  rooms, 
blaming  themselves  for  sleeping  so  late,  they  found 
the  decks  washed  down,  the  cabins  in  order,  steam 
up,  and  breakfast  ready.  Those  who  had  "  turned 
in "  early  had  faithfully  performed  the  duties  belong 
ing  to  them,  as  they  had  been  instructed  the  evening 
before.  Mrs.  Light,  who  was  steward  as  well  as  cook, 
had  been  to  the  market,  and  purchased  the  supplies 
for  breakfast  and  dinner.  Mr.  Sherwood  and  the 
ladies  had  risen  early,  and  taken  a  walk,  which  gave 
them  a  keen  appetite  for  the  excellent  breakfast  pre 
pared  for  them.  The  passengers  insisted  that  Captain 
Lawry  should  sit  at  the  head  of  the  table  with  them, 
as  this  was  the  proper  place  for  the  commander  of 
the  steamer. 

During    his    walk    Mr.    Sherwood    had    purchased 


THE    YOTJXG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       255 

three  blank  books,  and  a  double  slate,  for  which 
Lawry,  agreeably  to  the  arrangement  that  nothing 
more  should  be  forced  upon  him,  paid  the  cash  on 
the  spot,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the  ladies.  The 
memoranda  of  each  trip,  including  the  time  of  arrival 
and  departure,  and  of  reaching  or  passing  the  prin 
cipal  points  on  the  lake,  were  to  be  entered  on  the 
slate  in  the  wheel-house,  and  afterwards  copied  into 
the  largest  of  the  blank  books.  These  were  called 
the  log  slate  and  the  log  book.  The  second  was  the 
engagement  book,  and  the  third  an  account  book,  in 
which  the  receipts  and  expenses  of  the  steamer  were 
to  be  kept. 

After  breakfast  Mr.  Sherwood  assisted  his  young 
friend  in  opening  these  books,  and  explained  to 
him  the  best  method  of  keeping  his  accounts.  By 
this  time  the  party  for  the  day's  excursion  had 
begun  to  arrive.  The  ladies  and  gentlemen  were 
friends  of  Mr.  Sherwood,  and  he  and  his  wife  and 
Miss  Fanny  were  to  join  them.  A  small  band  had 
been  provided  for  the  occasion,  consisting  of  six 
pieces,  which  was  placed  under  the  awning  on  the 
promenade  deck. 


256  HASTE     AXD     WASTE,     OR 

Precisely  at  eight  o'clock  the  Woodville  left  the 
wharf,  amid  the  inspiring  strains  of  the  Star-span 
gled  Banner,  performed  by  the  band.  The  scone 
was  in  the  highest  degree  exhilarating ;  and  the 
little  captain  was  the  happiest  person  on  board, 
where  all  was  merriment  and  rejoicing.  The  boat 
was  to  go  down  the  lake  as  far  as  Isle  La  Motte, 
where  the  party  would  spend  a  couple  of  hours  on 
shore,  and  return  by  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
This  programme  was  carried  out  to  the  letter,  with 
out  any  accident,  or  any  nearer  approach  to  one  than 
a  thunder  shower  and  squall.  When  the  little  captain 
saw  the  tempest  coming  down  upon  him,  —  though 
perhaps  it  was  not  absolutely  necessary  to  do  so,  — 
he  put  the  boat  about,  and  run  her  up  into  the  teeth 
of  the  squall.  The  ladies  and  gentlemen  saw  the 
commotion  on  the  water,  and  some  of  them  were 
very  much  alarmed  ;  but  the  Woodville,  under  the 
.good  management  of  Lawry,  did  not  careen  a  par 
ticle,  being  headed  into  the  wind. 

In  three  minutes  it  was  over,  the  steamer  returned 
to  her  former  course,  and  the  party  wondered  that  she 
made  no  more  fuss  about  it.  While  the  rain  con- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.      257 

tinned,  the  excursionists  were  compelled  to  remain 
in  the  saloon  ;  but  they  were  full  of  glee,  after  their 
terror  had  subsided,  and  the  shower  was  hardly 
regarded  as  a  detriment  to  the  pleasure  of  the  trip. 
At  the  appointed  hour  the  Woodville  was  at  the 
wharf  in  Burlington.  Before  the  party  left  the  boat, 
they  met  in  the  saloon,  and  passed  a  vote  of  thanks 
to  the  little  captain,  in  which  the  dinner,  the  steamer, 
and  her  commander  were  warmly  praised.  It  was 
written  out,  a  copy  was  given  to  Lawry,  and  it  was 
to  be  published  in  the  Burlington  papers.  While 
the  boat  was  stopping  at  the  wharf,  Mr.  Sherwood 
went  up  to  a  printing  office,  where  he  had  left  an 
order  for  a  job  in  the  morning,  and  returned  bring 
ing  with  him  a  few  copies  of  the  handbill,  which 
was  to  announce  the  Woodville  more  generally  to 
the  public.  It  was  posted  in  various  parts  of  the 
steamer,  and  read  aloud  with  mischievous  delight  by 
Miss  Fanny.  It  was  printed  in  colors,  ornamented 
with  a  cut  of  a  steamer,  and  read  as  follows :  — 
22* 


258  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 


EXCURSIONS    ON    THE    LAKE! 


THE  NEW  AND  SPLENDID  MINIATURE  STEAMER 


CAPTAIN     LAWRENCE     WILFORD, 

With  elegant  and  luxurious  accommodations  for  thirty 
passengers,  is  now  ready  to  convey  pleasure  parties 
to  any  part  of  the  lake. 


Breakfasts,  dinners,  and  suppers,  proA'ided  on 
board ;  and  the  tables  will  be  supplied  with  the 
best  the  market  affords. 

Apply  by  letter,  or  otherwise,  to  CAPTAIN  LAW 
RENCE  WILFORD,  Port  Rock,  N.   Y. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       259 

By  seven  o'clock  the  Woodville  was  under  way  for 
Port  Rock.  Lawry  gave  the  helm  to  one  of  the  deck 
hands,  and  went  below  to  make  some  entries  in  his 
account  book.  He  had'  been  paid,  that  day,  fifty 
dollars  for  the  boat,  and  thirty  dollars  for  dinners. 
Mrs.  Light  had  expended  twenty-six  dollars  for  pro 
visions  and  groceries,  but  he  still  had  one  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  dollars.  It  was  a  large  sum  of 
money  for  a  boy  of  fourteen  to  have,  and  he  counted 
it  with  a  pride  and  pleasure  which  made  him  forget 
the  fatigue  of  his  severe  labors. 

At  half  past  ten  the  steamer  was  moored  to  her 
wharf  at  Port  Rock.  Mr.  Sherwood  and  the  ladies 
bade  the  little  captain  good  night,  and  went  home. 
In  half  an  hour  more  Lawry  was  sound  asleep  in 
his  state-room. 


260  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 

TEN     THOUSAND     IN     GOLD. 

IT  was  fortunate  for  Lawry  that  he  was  able  to 
sleep  well  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement  in  which 
he  lived ;  otherwise  his  bodily  frame  must  have 
yielded  to  the  pressure  to  which  it  was  subjected. 
He  did  not  wake  till  seven  the  next  morning,  hav 
ing  thus  obtained  fvdl  eight  hours  of  rest,  which 
invigorated  his  powers,  and  prepared  him  for  the 
arduous  duties  of  another  day.  As  soon  as  he  turned 
out,  he  went  up  to  see  his  mother,  and  gave  her 
a  hundred  dollars  of  the  money  he  had  earned,  re 
serving  the  balance  for  the  expenses  of  the  boat. 

At  nine  Mr.  Sherwood  and  his  party  came  on 
board.  It  had  been  his  intention  to  visit  Ticonde- 
roga  ;  but  business  letters  which  he  found  waiting 
his  arrival  the  evening  before  compelled  him  to 
change  his  destination  to  Burlington. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       261 

Just  before  the  party  appeared,  Ben  Wilford  had 
been  seen  lounging  about  the  wharf.  He  had  com 
plained  bitterly  to  his  mother  of  the  treatment  he 
had  received  from  Lawry,  and  did  not  seem  to  be 
conscious  that  he  had  ever  been  engaged  in  a  base 
and  mean  conspiracy  against  the  peace  and  happi 
ness  of  the  whole  family.  Mrs.  Wilford  had  spoken 
plainly  to  him,  which  had  only  increased  his  irrita 
tion.  The  little  steamer  was  a  sore  trial  to  him, 
for  she  was  the  indication  of  Lawry's  prosperity. 

Ben  had  fully  persuaded  himself  into  the  belief 
that  he,  and  not  Lawry,  ought  to  be  captain  of  the 
Woodville.  She  was  a  family  affair,  and  he  could 
not  regard  his  brother  as  the  actual  owner  of  her. 
He  had  imagination  enough  to  understand  and  ap 
preciate  the  pleasure  of  being  in  command  of  such 
a  fine  craft.  His  conspiracy  had  signally  failed ;  in 
his  own  choice  phrase,  Mr.  Sherwood  "  carried  too 
many  guns  for  him,"  and  it  was  useless  to  contend 
against  money. 

The  envious  brother  had  so  far  progressed  in  his 
views  as  to  believe  that  a  subordinate  position  in 
the  Woodville  was  better  than  no  position  at  all. 


262  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OK 

He  had  heard  of  the  fine  times  the  parties  had  on 

• 

board  of  her,  of  the  splendid  dinners,  and  the  in 
spiring  music  ;  and  he  was  very  anxious  to  have  a 
situation  in  her.  He  was  afraid  of  Mr.  Sherwood, 
and  dared  not  again  take  his  place  holdly  on  board. 
At  a  favorable  moment,  when  Lawry  and  the  deck 
hands  were  employed  on  the  after  part  of  the  deck, 
he  slipped  down  the  plank  and  into  the  forecastle, 
concealing  himself  in  the  berth  of  one  of  the  fire 
men.  This  trick  might  insure  him  a  passage  with 
the  excursion  party,  if  nothing  more. 

When  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  had  all  arrived, 
the  boat  left  the  wharf,  and  commenced  her  voyage 
down  the  lake.  After  she  had  gone  a  couple  of 
miles  Ben  Wilford  came  out  of  his  hiding-place, 
and  proceeded  directly  to  the  wheel-house,  feeling 
that  he  had  nothing  to  fear  from  his  kind-hearted 
brother,  and  hoping  to  conciliate  him  before  Mr. 
Sherwood  discovered  that  he  was  on  board.  He 
entered  the  open  door  of  the  wheel-house  as  coolly 
as  though  he  belonged  there. 

"  Ben ! "  exclaimed  the  little  captain,  when  he 
saw  him.  "  I  didn't  know  you  were  on  board." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       263 

"  I  didn't  mean  you  should  till  I  got  ready,"  re 
plied  Ben,  with  a  conciliatory  smile. 

"  I  don't  know  as  Mr.  Sherwood  will  like  it  when 
he  sees  you,"  added  Lawry. 

"  If  you  like  it,  he  will." 

"  I'm  sure  I've  no  objection  to  your  going  with 
me." 

"  I  knew  you  hadn't." 

"  But  the  steamer  belongs  to  Mr.  Sherwood  to 
day." 

"  Don't  you  want  some  help,  Lawry  ?  Mother 
thinks  you  are  working  rather  too  hard." 

"  I  don't  think  I  shall  hurt  myself,"  answered 
Lawry,  laughing  ;  and  he  was  really  pleased  to  find 
Ben  in  such  good  humor.  "I  don't  see  that  you 
can  help  me  any." 

"  I  can  steer." 

"  So  can  Rounds,"  replied  Lawry,  referring  to  the 
deck  hand  whom  he  called  to  the  wheel  when  he 
left  his  post. 

"  Lawry,  you  are  my  Brother  —  ain't  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  am." 

"  And  I  am  your  6rother  —  am  I  not  ?  " 


264  IIASTZ    AND    WASTE,    OK 

"  Without  a  doubt  you  are." 

"  Then  there  are  two  good  reasons  why  we  should 
not  quarrel." 

"  I'm  very  sure  I  don't  wish  to  quarrel,  Ben," 
added  Lawry,  earnestly. 

"  And  I'm  just  as  sure  I  don't,"  continued  Ben. 
"  This  is  a  splendid  little  boat,  and  we  might  make 
a  first-rate  thing  of  it.  I  still  think  I  ought  to  be 
captain  of  her ;  but  I  won't  quarrel  about  that  now. 
I'll  take  any  place  you  have  a  mind  to  give  me." 

This  was  certainly  very  kind  and  condescending 
on  the  part  of  the  elder  brother,  after  what  had 
occurred  ;  and  Lawry  really  felt  happy  in  the  ex 
cellent  spirit  which  Ben  appeared  to  manifest. 

"  You  might  give  me  a  chance  as  mate,  if  you 
like,"  added  Ben,  as  he  perceived  the  smile  on  his 
brother's  face. 

"  I  will  speak  to  Mr.   Sherwood  about  it." 

"  What  do  you  want  to  speak  to  him  for  ?  Don't 
you  own  this  boat  ?  " 

"I  do  ;  but  he  has  been  very  kind  to  me,  and 
I  want  to  take  his  advice  when  I  can.  I  wish  you 
hadn't  got  into  that  scrape  the  other  day." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       265 

"  What  scrape  ?  " 

"  Why,  causing  the  boat  to  be  attached  for  fa 
ther's  debts." 

"  I  didn't  mean  anything  by  it,  Lawry,"  answered 
Ben,  in  apologetic  tones.  "  You  must  acknowledge 
that  you  provoked  me  to  it." 

"How,  Ben?" 

"  I  can't  get  it  out  of  my  head  that  I  ought  to 
be  captain  of  this  boat.  I  think  it  would  be  a 
good  deal  better  for  you,  Lawry.  Just  look  at  it 
one  minute !  You  are  a  pilot,  and  you  have  to 
leave  the  wheel  to  see  to  everything  on  board.  You 
ought  to  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  navigate  the 
steamer ;  while  I,  as  captain,  could  take  the  money, 
see  to  the  dinners,  and  keep  the  deck  and  cabins 
in  good  order." 

"  We  get  along  very  well,"  replied  Lawry. 

"  But  it  will  wear  you  out  in  a  month.  Mother 
is  afraid  you  will  kill  yourself,  running  the  boat 
night  and  day." 

"  If  you  were  captain  I  should  have  to  be  in  the 
wheel-house  all  the  time,  just  the  same. 

"  Well,  I  don't  insist  on  it,  Lawry,"  replied  Ben, 
23 


266  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

•with  becoming  meekness.  "  I  was  only  saying  what 
would  be  best  for  all  concerned." 

"  I  will  talk  with  Mr.  Sherwood." 

"  Whatever  you  say,  he  will  agree  to.  Xow,  give 
me  the  wheel,  Lawry,  and  you  go  and  see  your 
passengers. 

Ben  took  hold  of  the  wheel,  and  the  young  pilot 
involuntarily  released  his  grasp  on  the  spokes.  The 
older  brother  was  certainly  in  a  very  amiable  frame 
of  mind,  and  it  was  perfectly  proper  to  encourage 
him  ;  but  there  was  no  more  need  of  a  mate  than 
there  was  of  another  captain.  Rounds,  as  the  older 
of  the  two  deck  hands,  now  performed  the  duties 
of  that  office.  There  was  no  freight  to  be  received 
and  discharged,  which  the  mate  superintends ;  and 
there  was  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  attend  to  the 
gang-plank  and  the  mooring  lines,  and  see  that  the 
decks  were  washed  down  when  required. 

Lawry  was  not  quite  willing  to  leave  the  wheel 
in  charge  of  his  brother,  for  he  was  painfully  con 
scious  that  he  could  not  always  be  trusted.  Ben 
was  not  often  in  so  pliable  a  frame  of  mind,  and 
the  little  captain  could  not  help  suspecting  that  he 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHA51PLAIN.       267 

had  some  object  in  view  which  was  not  apparent, 
for  he  had  twice  declared,  that  if  he  was  not 
captain  of  the  Woodville  no  one  should  be.  He 
was  not  prepared  to  believe  that  Ben  would  run  the 
boat  on  the  rocks,  or  set  her  on  fire  ;  but  he  deemed 
it  prudent  to  keep  his  eye  on  him,  and  on  the 
course  of  the  steamer. 

Ben  steered  very  well,  and  Lawry  left  the  wheel- 
house.  At  the  door  he  met  Mr.  Sherwood,  just  as 
that  gentleman  had  discovered  who  was  at  the  helm. 

"  How's  this,  Lawry  ?  Have  you  got  more  help  ?  " 
asked  his  friend. 

"  I  didn't  know  Ben  was  on  board  till  we  were 
two  miles  from  the  wharf.  I  hope  you  don't  ob 
ject,  sir." 

"  Certainly  not,  Lawry.  If  you  are  satisfied,  I 
have  no  reason  to  be  otherwise." 

"  Ben  talks  very  fair  this  morning ;  and  I'm  sure 
I  don't  want  to  quarrel  with  him." 

"  Of  course  not." 

"  He  still  thinks  he  ought  to  be  captain,  and 
that  it  would  be  better  for  me  ; "  and  Lawry  stated 
his  brother's  argument. 


268  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

"  That's  all  very  pretty,"  replied  Mr.  Sherwood. 
"  If  you  wish  to  give  your  brother  the  command 
of  your  steamer,  it  is  not  for  me  to  interpose  any 
objection." 

"  But  I  want  to  follow  your  advice." 

"I  think  you  had  better  let  things  remain  as 
they  are,  for  the  present,  at  least.  Do  as  you 
think  best,  Lawry.  I  don't  want  to  influence  you." 

This  conversation  took  place  near  the  door  of 
the  wheel-house,  and  though  the  parties  had  not 
so  intended,  Ben  heard  every  Avord  of  it. 

"  Do  as  you  think  best,  Lawry,"  continued  Mr. 
Sherwood. 

"  I   want   to   do   what   you    think   is  best,    sir." 

"  You  know  my  opinion.  Your  brother's  habits 
—  I  am  sorry  to  say  it  —  are  not  good.  I  should 
not  be  willing  to  trust  him.  You  cannot  place 
much  confidence  in  a  young  man  who  is  in  the 
habit  of  getting  drunk.  I  don't  want  to  hurt  your 
feelings,  Lawry,  but  I  must  be  frank  with  you." 

Ben  ground  his  teeth  with  rage,  as  he  listened 
to  this  plain  description  of  himself,  and,  in  accord 
ance  with  his  usual  practice  in  such  cases,  vowed 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       269 

to  be  revenged  upon  the  man  who  had  traduced 
him,  which  was  his  interpretation  of  Mr.  Sherwood's 
candid  statement  of  the  truth. 

"  I  think  you  are  right,  sir,"  replied  tLawry,  realiz 
ing  that  Ben  was  not  fit  for  the  command  of  the 
Woodville,  even  if  he  was  disposed  to  give  it  to  him. 

"  Lawry,  I  have  been  compelled  to  change  this 
excursion  into  a  partial  business  trip.  I  am  going 
to  buy  the  surplus  gold  of  a  bank  in  Burlington,  and 
you  must  leave  me  there  and  go  on  to  Port  Kent. 
On  your  return,  you  can  stop  for  me,"  continued  Mr. 
Sherwood.  "  What  is  your  engagement  for  to 
morrow." 

"At  Whitehall,  sir." 

"  Capital !  You  can  convey  my  gold  through,  so 
that  I  can  take  the  morning  train  at  Whitehall  for 
New  York." 

"  If  we  get  back  to  Port  Rock  by  six,  we  can 
reach  Whitehall  by  twelve." 

"  Well,  that  is  sooner  than  I  wish  to  arrive,"  added 
Mr.  Sherwood,  thoughtfully.  "  I  shall  have  ten  thou 
sand  dollars  in  gold  with  me,  which,  at  the  present 
rate,  is  worth  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  in 


270  HASTE    AXI)    WASTE,    OR 

currency.  It  would  be  a  great  temptation  to  any 
rogues,  who  might  find  out  the  specie  was  on  board. 
How  would  it  do  to  start  from  Port  Rock  at  mid 
night  ?  " 

"  It  will  do  just  as  well,  sir.'' 

"  Then  I  shall  reach  Whitehall  just  in  time  for  the 
train.  But,  Lawry,  I  see  that  you  must  have  another 
pilot  on  board." 

"  I  think  I  can  get  along,  sir." 

"  You  will  wear  yourself  out.  You  have  run  a 
portion  of  the  last  two  nights,  and  this  arrangement 
will  make  the  third." 

"  I  can  sleep  just  as  well  at  Port  Rock  as  at  White 
hall.  To-morrow  will  be  Saturday,  and  my  engage 
ments  for  Monday  and  Tuesday  are  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  lake,  so  that  I  shall  have  no  more  night  work 
at  present.  I  can  stand  it  well  enough." 

"  I'm  afraid  it  will  be  too  much  for  you  ;  but  if 
you  have  to  engage  an  extra  pilot,  you  must  raise 
your  price  to  sixty  dollars  a  day." 

"  I  think  we  shall  need  another  engineer  at  the 
same  time.  Ethan  has  just  as  hard  a  time  of  it  as 
I  do." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        271 

"  You  had  better  raise  your  price  ;  people  will  not 
object." 

"  I  was  thinking,  sir,  that  Ben  would  make  a  good 
pilot.  He  is  a  good  wheel-man,  and  it  wouldn't 
take  him  long  to  learn  the  courses  on  the  lake." 

Mr.  Sherwood  shook  his  head. 

"  Would  you  be  willing  to  trust  him  with  the 
boat  ?  turn  in  and  go  to  sleep  yourself,  while  he  is 
at  the  helm  ? "  asked  he. 

"  I  think  I  would,  after  he  had  learned  the  navi 
gation." 

"  He  is  your  brother,  Lawry,  and  I  don't  like  to 
say  anything  to  wound  you  ;  but  I  feel  that  your 
brother  is  not  a  reliable  person.  You  must  be  very 
prudent.  Even  a  trifling  accident,  resulting  from 
mismanagement,  might  ruin  your  business ;  for  people 
will  not  expose  their  lives  needlessly.  If  Ben  will 
run  the  ferry  the  rest  of  the  year,  keep  sober,  and 
behave  well  in  every  respect,  you  might  make  a  pilot 
of  him,  or  even  captain,  another  season." 

Doubtless  this  was  good  advice,  and  the  little  cap 
tain  had  so  much  confidence  in  his  friend  and  bene 
factor,  that  he  could  not  help  adopting  it.  Mr. 


272  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

Sherwood  went  into  the  cabin  again,  without  any 
conversation  with  the  subject  of  his  severe  but  just 
comments.  Lawry  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  the 
hurricane  deck,  where  he  had  talked  with  his  advisor, 
when  he  noticed  that  the  boat  was  headed  towards 
the  shore,  and  in  a  moment  more  would  be  aground 
in  the  shoal  water  off  Barber's  Point.  He  rushed 
into  the  wheet-house,  and  found  that  Ben  had  aban 
doned  the  helm.  Grasping  the  wheel,  the  pilot 
brought  her  up  to  her  course,  and  then  turned  to 
his  brother. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Ben,  by  leaving  the  wheel  ?  " 
demanded  Lawry,  filled  with  indignation  at  his 
brother's  'treachery. 

"  Don't  talk  to  me,"  growled  Ben. 

"  The  boat  would  have  been  aground  in  a  minute 
more." 

"  I  wish  she  was." 

"  What's  the  matter,  Ben  ?  " 

"  I  thought  you  were  my  brother ;  but  you  are  not." 

"  I'm  sorry  to  hear  you  talk  so  ;  and  I  didn't  think 
you  would  do  so  mean  a  thing  as  to  run  the  boat 
ashore." 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       273 

"  I'll  do  anything  now.  I  heard  what  Sherwood 
said  to  you,  and  what  you  said  to  him.  I  didn't 
think  you  would  let  any  man  talk  about  your  brother 
as  he  did.  Do  you  suppose  I  would  let  any  man  talk 
like  that  about  my  brother  ?  I'll  bet  I  wouldn't ! 
I'd  knock  him  over  before  the  words  were  out  of  his 
mouth." 

"  Why,  what  did  he  say,  Ben  ? " 

"  What  did  he  say  !  Didn't  you  hear  what  he 
said  ?  Didn't  he  tell  you  I  was  a  drunken  fellow, 
and  couldn't  be  trusted  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  certainly  did,"  replied  Lawry,  moodily. 

"  And  you  heard  him !  And  you  didn't  say  a 
word  !  "  said  Ben,  furiously. 

"  What  could  I  say  ?     I  wish  it  wasn't  true." 

"  Do  you  ?  " 

Ben  looked  his  brother  in  the  face,  while  his  lips 
curled  into  a  sneer  of  contempt. 

"  What  could  I  say  when  Mr.  Sherwood  spoke 
only  what  I  know  is  true  ?  " 

"  Then  you  think  I'm  a  drunken  fellow,  and  can't 
be  trusted?"  demanded  Ben,  with  an  injured  look. 

"  Don't  you  drink  too  much  sometimes  ? " 


274  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

"  No,  I  don't !  I  drink  what  I  want ;  but  no  one 
ever  saw  me  the  worse  for  liquor.  Who  says  I  can't 
be  trusted  ?  " 

"  When  I  gave  you  the  wheel,  at  your  own  request, 
you  left  it,  and  the  boat  would  have  been  ashore  in 
another  mimite.  Does  that  look  as  though  you  could 
be  trusted  ? "  added  Lawry,  his  indignation  rekindled, 
as  he  thought  of  the  peril  to  Avhich  his  beautiful  craft 
had  been  so  maliciously  exposed. 

"  That  was  because  you  wouldn't  trust  me.  I  was 
mad." 

"  One  who  would  expose  the  lives  of  twenty  or 
thirty  persons  when  he  got  mad  ought  not  to  be 
trusted." 

"  Lawry,  you  are  no  longer  my  brother.  You  and 
your  mother,  and  Sherwood  here,  have  been  trying  to 
put  me  down,  and  make  a  nobody  of  me.  You  can't 
do  it.  I'm  your  enemy  now.  You  have  made  me 
mad,  and  you  must  take  the  consequences.  I'll  burn 
or  smash  this  boat  the  first  chance  I  get !  As  for 
Sherwood,  I'll  teach  him  to  talk  about  me  ! " 

The  angry  young  man  rushed  out  of  the  wheel- 
house.  If  Mr.  Sherwood  had  heard  his  insane  threats, 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       275 

he  would  probably  have  insisted  that  he  should  be 
immediately  put  on  shore ;  but  Lawry  did  not  think 
his  brother  capable  of  the  madness  of  malice  his 
speech  indicated ;  he  was  in  a  passion,  and  when 
he  cooled  off  he  would  be  reasonable  again. 

Ben  sat  down  on  the  forecastle  where  the  pilot 
could  see  him,  and  nursed  his  wrath  till  the  Wood- 
ville  arrived  at  Burlington.  He  was  in  deep  thought 
all  the  time,  and  did  not  heed  the  singing  or  other 
amusements  of  the  party  on  board,  who  were  enjoy 
ing  themselves  to  the  utmost.  Apparently  with  no 
perception  of  his  own  faults  and  short- comings,  he 
regarded  himself  as  a  deeply  injured  young  man. 
His  mother  and  his  brother  had  turned  against  him, 
and  were  persecuting  him  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 
He  had  come  on  board  to  gain  his  purpose  by  con 
ciliation  ;  he  had  failed,  and,  in  his  own  view,  there 
was  nothing  left  for  him  but  revenge. 

The  boat  touched  at  Burlington,  and  to  the  great 
relief  of  Lawry,  his  brother  followed  Mr.  Sherwood 
on  shore.  At  three  o'clock  the  Woodville  returned 
from  Port  Kent  with  the  happy  excursionists.  While 
the  steamer  lay  at  the  wharf,  waiting  for  Mr.  Sher- 


276  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

wood,  many  persons,  moved  by  curiosity  to  inspect 
the  beautiful  craft,  came  aboard  ;  and  whenever  she 
stopped,  she  had  plenty  of  visitors  of  this  description. 
Among  them  Lawry  saw  his  brother,  accompanied 
by  two  men,  who,  from  the  remarks  they  made,  were 
evidently  familiar  with  the  machinery  and  appoint 
ments  of  steamers. 

Mr.  Sherwood  presently  appeared  attended  by  a 
bank  messenger  with  the  precious  coin  he  had  pur 
chased  at  2.44,  the  telegraphic  quotation  from  New 
York  for  that  day. 

"  Where  shall  I  put  this  gold,  Captain  Lawry  ? " 
asked  Mr.  Sherwood. 

"  I  don't  know,  sir  ;  I'm  really  afraid  of  it,"  re 
plied  the  captain,  nervously.  "  Can't  you  carry  it 
in  your  pockets  ?  " 

"  It  weighs  about  thirty-seven  pounds,"  laughed 
Mr.  Sherwood.  "  I  will  lock  it  up  in  my  state-room. 
I  shall  sleep  on  board  to-night,  and  it  will  be  safe 
enough  after  we  leave  the  wharf,  for  no  one  but  you 
and  me  knows  there  is  any  specie  on  board." 

The  man  of  gold  went  aft  with  the  coin,  which 
was  contained  in  two  bags. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       277 

"I  suppose  I  can  go  home  with  you  —  can't  I, 
Lawry  ? "  asked  Ben,  as  the  little  captain  started 
for  the  wheel-house. 

Lawry  could  not  refuse  this  request,  though  his 
brother  was  evidently  a  little  excited  by  the  liquor 
he  had  drank.  He  hoped  Ben  had  not  heard  any 
thing  about  the  treasure  on  board  ;  for  he  feared  that 
revenge,  if  not  dishonesty,  might  prompt  him  to  com 
mit  a  crime. 

The  visitors  were  warned  ashore,  and  the  Wood- 
ville  departed  for  Port  Rock,  where  she  arrived  at 
about  six  o'clock.  The  excursion  party  went  on 
shore,  after  the  usual  compliments  to  the  steamer 
and  her  commander. 

"  Now,  Lawry,  I  must  go  up  to  the  house  for  my 
valise ;  but  I  will  return  in  an  hour,"  said  Mr.  Sher 
wood,  whose  carriage  was  waiting  for  him  at  the 
head  of  the  wharf. 

"  But  the  gold,  sir  ? "  whispered  Lawry,  anxiously. 

"  You  or   Ethan  may  watch   the   state-room  till  I 
v 
return,  if  you  please  ;  but  there  is  no  danger  here. 

You  must  turn  in  at  once,  Lawry,  so  as  not  to  lose 
your  sleep." 

24 


278  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OB 

"  I  shall  be  gone  four  or  five  days,  this  time,  and 
I  must  go  home  after  some  clean  clothes." 

"  Very  well ;  I  will  get  Ethan  to  keep  his  eye  on 
the  state-room,"  replied  Mr.  Sherwood ;  and  Lawry 
ran  up  to  the  cottage. 

Ethan,  who  had  ordered  the  fires  to  he  banked 
in  the  furnaces,  and  was  letting  off  the  superfluous 
steam,  consented  to  watch  the  room  containing  the 
gold.  Rounds,  the  deck  hand,  and  the  first  fireman 
turned  in,  that  they  might  be  ready  for  duty  at  mid 
night,  when  the  boat  would  start  for  Whitehall. 


THE    YOUNG     PILOT    OF     LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       279 


CHAPTER     XIX. 

CAPTURED    AND    RECAPTURED. 

UNFORTUNATELY  for  Ben  Wilford,  he  had  heard 
Mr.  Sherwood  inform  Lawry  of  his  intentions  in 
regard  to  the  purchase  and  transportation  of  the 
gold.  Before  the  Woodville  reached  Burlington, 
the  dissolute  young  man  had  resolved  to  obtain  the 
money  if  possible,  prompted  partly  by  revenge,  and 
partly  by  the  desire  to  possess  so  large  a  sum,  with 
which  he  could  revel  in  luxury  in  some  distant  part 
of  the  country.  It  must  be  confessed  that  this  re 
solve  to  commit  a  crime  was  not  simply  an  impulse, 
for  the  young  man  who  leads  a  life  of  indolence  and 
dissipation  is  never  at  any  great  distance  from  crime. 
Ben  had  been  schooling  himself  for  years  for  the  very 
deed  he  now  determined  to  do. 

With  more  energy  and  decision,  Ben  was,  in  other 
respects,  the  counterpart  of  his  father.  His  moral 


280  HASTE    AXD    WASTE,    OR 

perceptions  were  weak,  and  the  dissolute  life  he  led 
had  not  contributed  to  strengthen  them.  He  was  the 
antipode  of  La  wry,  who  had  been  more  willing  to 
listen  to  the  teachings  of  his  mother. 

Ben  had  resolved  to  commit  a  crime,  but  he  had 
not  the  skill  or  the  courage  to  do  it  alone.  When  he 
went  on  shore  at  Burlington,  he  met  two  of  his  former 
boon  companions,  with  whom  he  had  often  tippled, 
gambled,  and  caroused.  One  of  them  had  been  a 
fireman,  and  the  other  a  deck  hand,  on  board  a 
steamer  with  Ben,  and  he  knew  them  thoroughly. 
By  gradual  approaches  he  sounded  them,  to  ascer 
tain  their  willingness  to  join  him  in  the  robbery. 
The  gold  converted  into  currency  would  give  them 
seven  or  eight  thousand  dollars  apiece,  and  the  temp 
tation  was  sufficiently  strong  to  remove  all  prudential 
obstacles. 

While  the  Woodville  was  absent  on  her  trip  to 
Port  Kent,  the  details  of  the  robbery  had  been  set 
tled.  The  confederates  sat  on  the  corner  of  the 
wharf  and  arranged  their  plans,  which  were  mainly 
suggested  by  the  one  who  had  been  a  fireman.  The 
scheme  was  to  be  executed  while  the  boat  lay  at  Port 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       281 

Rock,  and  the  two  men  Avhom  Lawry  had  seen  with 
his  brother  were  his  associates  in  the  intended  crime. 
Ben  had  concealed  them  in  the  fore-hold  of  the 
steamer.  While  the  excursion  party  were  going  on 
shore  at  the  gangway  abaft  the  wheels,  and  all  hands 
had  gone  aft  to  witness  their  departure,  Ben  had 
called  them  from  their  hiding-place,  and  sent  them 
on  the  wharf,  where  he  soon  joined  them.  From  a 
point  near  the  head  of  the  pier,  where  they  were 
not  observed,  they  waited  till  Mr.  Sherwood  and 
Lawry  had  gone,  and  all  was  quiet  on  board  of  the 
steamer. 

"  Now  is  our  time,"  said  Ben,  nervously ;  for  he 
was  not  familiar  enough  with  crime  to  be  unmoved 
by  the  desperate  situation  in  which  he  had  placed 
himself. 

"  Is  the  coast  clear  ?  "  asked  the  firemen. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Ben,  whose  teeth  actually  chattered 
with  apprehension. 

"  Who  is  there  on  board  now  ?  " 

"  No  one  but  the  engineer  and  the  fireman,  except 
two  boys,"  answered  Ben.     "  They  were  all  going  to 
turn  in  as  soon  as  they  got  to  the  wharf." 
24* 


282  ftASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  The  firemen  are  both  men,  but  I  reckon  they 
won't  fight ;  all  the  rest  are  boys." 

"  One  fireman  and  two  boys  have  turned  in  by 
this  time,"  added  Ben. 

"  Then  there  is  no  one  up  but  the  engineer  and 
one  fireman  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Where  is  the  gold,  Ben  ?  " 

"  In  the  starboard  saloon  state-room." 

"  All  right ;  have  your  pistols  ready,  but  don't 
use  them,  for  it  will  be  bad  for  us  if  we  have  to 
kill  any  one." 

The  party  walked  down  to  the  Woodville.  All 
was  still  on  board  of  her,  except  the  sound  of 
escaping  steam.  Ethan  stood  sentry  at  the  door  of 
the  state-room  containing  the  gold,  and  the  man  on 
,»atch  in  the  fire-room  was  busy  reading  a  newspaper. 
It  was  not  sunset  yet,  but  the  crew  of  the  Woodville 
had  been  worked  so  hard  for  three  days,  that  those 
off  duty  could  sleep  without  an  opiate. 

"  Put  on  that  hatch,"  said  the  fireman,  who  became 
the  leading  spirit  of  the  party,  as  he  pointed  to  the 
companion-way  of  the  fore-hold,  where  the  hands 
slept. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       283 

Ben  obeyed  the  order  without  making  any  noise, 
and  then  the  party  went  aft,  where  Ethan  was 
keeping  guard  over  the  treasure. 

"  Good  evening,  Ethan,"  said  Ben,  with  more 
suavity  than  he  was  in  the  habit  of  using. 

"  Good  evening,"   replied  the  engineer. 

"  Haven't  turned  in  yet  ?  "   continued  Ben. 

"No." 

"  Going  to  start  at  midnight,  I  hear." 

"  Yes." 

"  Some  friends  of  mine  wanted  to  look  over  the 
boat ;  I  suppose  I  can  show  them  through." 

"  I  don't  know ;  Captain  Lawry  can  tell  you," 
answered  Ethan,  who  did  not  like  Ben,  and  was  not 
favorably  impressed  by  the  appearance  of  the  other 
men. 

Ben  walked  aft  into  the  saloon,  followed  by  his 
companions.  Ethan  was  sitting  in  a  chair  by  the 
side  of  the  state-room  door.  The  fireman  passed 
round  behind,  and  suddenly  fell  upon  him,  throwing 
him  on  the  floor,  and  pinioning  his  arms  to  his  back. 

"  What  are  you  about  ? "  cried  Ethan,  struggling 
to  release  himself.  "  Help  !  help  !  " 


284  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Stop  his  mouth  !  "    said  Ben,  fearfully. 

Vainly  poor  Ethan  endeavored  to  shake  off  his 
assailants  ;  his  arms  were  tied  together  behind  him, 
and  a  handkerchief  stuffed  into  his  mouth.  In  this 
condition  he  was  lashed  to  a  stanchion,  so  that  he 
could  move  neither  hand  nor  foot. 

The  commotion  of  this  outrage  attracted  the  atten 
tion  of  Mrs.  Light  and  the  two  waiter-girls,  Avho  were 
employed  in  the  lower  cabin.  The  fireman  exhibited 
a  pistol  to  them,  drove  them  below  again,  and  threat 
ened  to  shoot  them  if  they  made  any  noise.  A 
similar  demonstration  quieted  the  fireman,  and  com 
pelled  him  to  return  to  the  fire -room. 

"  The  job  is  done,"  said  Baker,  the  leader  of  the 
enterprise. 

"  But  we  haven't  got  the  money,*'  added  Flint, 
the  deck  hand. 

"  We  don't  want  that  yet.  It  is  safe  where  it  is. 
Now  both  of  you  to  your  stations,"  continued  Baker ; 
and  he  went  down  into  the  fire-room. 

Ben's  station  was  in  the  wheel-house,  Flint's  at  the 
fasts,  and  Baker's  at  the  engine,  as  it  appeared  from 
their  subsequent  movements  ;  and  it  was  evident,  from 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF     LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.       285 

the  operations  in  progress,  that  the  villains  intended 
to  make  their  escape  in  the  steamer.  Baker  stopped 
the  .hissing  steam  which  was  going  to  waste,  and 
compelled  the  fireman  to  renew  the  fires. 

"  Be  lively  !  "  shouted  Ben,  from  the  wheel-house, 
as  he  discovered  Lawry  on  the  shore,  hastening  back 
to  the  steamer  with  his  bundle  of  clothes. 

"  All  ready  !  "  replied  Baker,  finding  there  was 
steam  enough  to  start  the  boat. 

Flint  had  already  cast  off  the  fasts,  without  waiting 
for  orders,  and  was  standing  on  the  forecastle,  as 
impatient  to  be  off  as  a  man  can  be  who  is  engaged 
in  the  commission  of  a  crime. 

Ben  rang  the  bell  to  back  her  ;  the  wheels  turned, 
but  as  the  stern  line  had  been  cast  off,  her  bow  was 
not  carried  out  from  the  wharf.  By  this  time  Lawry 
had  discovered  that  the  Woodville  was  in  motion. 
He  was  astonished  and  alarmed,  though  he  was  far 
from  surmising  that  his  boat  had  been  captured  by 
robbers.  Running  with  all  his  speed,  he  reached  the 
head  of  the  wharf  just  as  the  boat  had  backed  far 
enough  to  permit  Ben  to  see  him,  and  for  him 
to  see  that  Ben  was  at  the  wheel.  Then  he 


286  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OB 

realized  that  his  brother  was  engaged  in  another 
conspiracy. 

Notwithstanding  his  extensive  knowledge  of 
"  steamboating "  in  general,  Ben  Wilford  was  a 
very  unskilful  pilot.  If  he  had  understood  the  man 
agement  of  a  boat  half  as  well  as  Lawry,  the  nefa 
rious  scheme  might  have  been  successful.  He  saw 
his  brother  ;  he  did  not  wish  to  have  him  come  on 
board,  for  Lawry  might  be  so  obstinate  as  to  induce 
one  of  his  dissolute  companions  to  fire  at  him.  He 
rang  the  bell  to  stop  her,  and  then  to  go  ahead,  at 
the  same  time  putting  the  helm  hard  a-port. 

The  Woodville  went  forward,  and  as  she  met  the 
helm  her  bow  came  round,  and  she  was  headed  out 
into  the  middle  of  the  lake.  As  she  went  ahead, 
her  stern  swept  in  a  circle  wjthin  a  few  feet  of  the 
wharf,  just  as  Lawry,  breathless  with  haste  and  alarm, 
reached  the  end  of  the  pier.  The  little  captain  knew 
nothing  of  the  state  of  things  on  board,  except  that 
his  brother  Ben  was  at  the  wheel,  which,  however, 
was  a  sufficient  explanation  to  him.  The  Woodville 
was  going,  and  he  could  not  let  her  depart  without 
him.  Dropping  his  bundle,  he  leaped  to  the  plank- 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       287 

shear,  grasping  the  rail  with  both  hands.  Jumping 
over  the  bulwark,  he  stood  on  the  guard  from  which 
opened  the  windows  of  the  saloon. 

Neither  of  the  three  conspirators  were  in  a  sit 
uation  to  see  this  movement  on  the  part  of  Lawry. 
Ben  was  too  much  occupied  in  steering  —  for  he  was 
not  a  little  fearful  of  getting  aground  in  some  shoal 
water  between  the  ferry  and  the  wharf —  to  notice 
anything  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had  obtained  his  course, 
he  looked  for  his  brother  on  the  pier.  He  was  not 
there ;  but  Ben  did  not  suspect  that  he  was  on 
board  the  "Woodville.  Baker,  who  knew  just  enough 
about  an  engine  to  stop  and  start  it,  was  working 
the  valves  with  the  bar ;  and  he  could  think  of 
nothing  else.  Doubtless  he  was  conscious  by  this 
time  that  he  had  "  taken  a  big  job,"  in  assuming 
the  control  of  the  engine. 

Lawry  was  bewildered  by  the  situation.  When 
his  feet  struck  the  deck,  his  first  impulse  was  to 
rush  up  to  the  wheel-house,  and  confront  the  diffi 
culty  as  the  case  might  require.  He  started  to  carry 
out  his  purpose,  when  he  happened  to  look  through 
one  of  the  saloon  windows,  and  discovered  Ethan, 


288  HASTE     AND     WASTE,     OB 

with  the  handkerchief  in  his  mouth,  tied  to  the 
stanchion.  Deeply  as  he  sympathized  with  his  friend 
in  his  unpleasant  position,  he  was  still  cheered  by 
the  sight,  for  it  assured  him  that  the  engineer  had 
been  faithful  to  his  duties,  and  was  not  a  party  to 
the  conspiracy. 

The  little  captain  went  round  and  entered  the 
saloon  by  the  door,  without  being  seen  by  either 
of  the  conspirators.  He  removed  the  gag  from 
Ethan's  mouth,  and  proceeded  to  unfasten  the  cords 
with  which  he  was  bound. 

"  What  does  all  this  mean,  Ethan  ?  "  demanded 
Lawry,  in  excited  tones,  and  almost  crying  with 
vexation. 

"  Hush  !  Do  they  know  you  are  here  ?  "  asked 
the  engineer. 

"  I  think  not  ;  I  don't  know." 

"  Keep  still,  then.     They  are  after  the  gold." 

"  Who  are  they  ?  " 

"  Ben  and  two  other  fellows.  I  don't  know 
them." 

"  We'll  stop  this  thing  very  quick,"  said  Lawry, 
in  hurried  tones. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       289 

"  They  are  armed  with  pistols,  and  threatened  to 
shoot  all  hands.  Be  careful,  Lawry,  or  you  will 
get  a  bullet  through  your  head." 

"What  shall  we  do?"  demanded  the  young  pilot, 
•who  had  no  desire  to  be  shot. 

Ethan  was  an  accomplished  strategist ;  he  had 
fought  the  Indians  both  with  his  wits  and  his  weap 
ons,  and  he  promptly  undertook  the  management 
of  the  affair.  He  led  the  way  to  the  lower  cabin, 
where  the  terrified  women  had  been  driven  by 
the  ruffians.  Mrs.  Light  declared  she  was  fright 
ened  out  of  her  senses,  and  she  "  never  did  hear 
of  such  goings  on." 

"  If  any  of  those  men  ask  for  me,  tell  them  I 
got  loose,  jumped  overboard,  and  swam  ashore," 
said  Ethan. 

"  Law  sake  ! "  exclaimed  the  cook. 

"  Don't  tell  them  I  am  here,  at  any  rate." 

"  I  won't.  Massy  sake  !  "What  on  airth  are  we 
comin'  to  ?  " 

"  Don't  be  alarmed ;  we  will  take  care  of  these 
villains  before  we  have  done  with  them,"  added 
Ethan. 

25 


290  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Hush  !  There's  some  one  coming,"  said  one  of 
the  girls ;  and  the  heavy  tread  of  a  man  was  heard 
on  the  deck  above  them. 

Ethan  and  Lawry  had  only  time  to  crawl  into 
one  of  the  berths,  where  Mrs.  Light  covered  them 
with  bed-clothes,  before  Flint  came  down  into  the 
cabin. 

"  See  here  ;  we  haven't  been  to  supper,  and  we 
want  some,"  said  the  ruffian,  as  he  descended  the 
steps. 

"What  are  you  goin'  to  do  with  us?"  demanded 
Mrs.  Light. 

"  Don't  be  scart ;  we  won't  hurt  you,"  replied 
Flint. 

"  But  where  you  goin'  ?  " 

"  Up  to  Whitehall.  When  we  get  there,  you  can 
go  where  you  please.  Now,  get  us  some  supper ; 
the  best  there  is  on  board  —  beefsteak  and  coffee." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  can  get  you  some  supper ; 
but  I  don't  like  such  carryin's  on,"  replied  Mrs. 
Light. 

Flint  left  the  cabin,  after  he  had  given  his  order. 
On  his  way  forward  he  looked  into  the  saloon,  and 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       291 

discovered  that  their  prisoner  was  missing.  Search 
was  immediately  instituted ;  but  Mrs.  Light,  as  in 
structed  by  Ethan,  declared  that  he  had  got  loose 
and  swam  ashore  ;  she  had  seen  him  through  the 
stern  lights.  The  rascals  finally  accepted  this  ex 
planation,  after  searching  on  deck  for  him. 

Mrs.  Light  went  to  the  kitchen  to  get  supper  for 
the  rogues,  while  the  girls  set  the  table.  The  cook 
presently  returned  to  the  cabin,  and  told  Ethan 
where  each  of  the  robbers  was  stationed  ;  but  being 
unarmed,  there  seemed  to  be  no  way  of  making  an 
attack  upon  them  where  the  ruffians  could  not  rally 
to  the  support  of  each  other. 

"  We  must  settle;  this  business  down  here,  Lawry," 
said  Ethan,  when  they  had  come  out  of  their  hiding- 
places. 

"  They  will  have  to  come  to  supper  one  at  a 
time,"  added  the  little  captain. 

"  Exactly  so  ;  and  this  will  be  the  safest  place 
to  do  the  job.  We  want  a  rope,"  added  the  en 
gineer,  with  a  business-like  air. 

"  I'll  fetch  you  a  rope,"   said  Mrs.  Light. 

"  Do ;  bring  me  the  small  heave-line,  on  the 
guard  by  the  saloon  doors." 


292  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OB 

The  cook  went  on  deck,  and  after  a  visit  to  the 
kitchen,  returned  to  the  cabin  with  the  line  indi 
cated  under  her  apron.-  In  about  half  an  hour  sup 
per  was  ready  for  the  villains,  and  'one  of  the  girls 
informed  Baker,  who  was  still  on  duty  in  the  engine- 
room,  that  it  was  waiting  for  them.  The  engineer 
called  Flint,  and  told  him,  as  the  boat  was  out  in 
the  middle  of  the  lake,  the  engine  would  need  noth 
ing  done  to  it,  and  directed  him  to  stand  at  the 
door,  so  that  the  fireman  below  should  not  attempt 
to  defeat  their  plans.  He  then  went  to  the  cabin 
for  his  supper. 

Ethan  and  Lawry  had  concealed  themselves  be 
hind  the  curtains  of  a  tier  of  berths,  directly  in  the 
rear  of  the  chair  where  Baker  was  to  sit  at  the 
table.  In  his  hand  Ethan  held  the  heave-line,  at 
one  end  of  which  Lawry  had  made  a  hangman's 
noose.  Mrs.  Light  and  the  girls  had  been  instructed 
to  rattle  the  chairs,  make  as  much  noise  as  they 
could,  'and  otherwise  engage  the  attention  of  the  , 
robber,  as  soon  as  he  sat  down  to  the  table. 

Baker  came  down  the  stairs,  and  one  of  the  girls 
began  to  rattle  the  chairs,  Mrs.  Light  to  move  a 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT     OF    LAKE    CHAMF^AIN.       293 

pile    of   plates,  and    the    other    girl    to   arrange    the 
dishes  on  the  table.     • 

"  Will  you  have  some  coffee  ? "  demanded  Mrs. 
Light,  without  giving  him  time  to  notice  anything 
in  the  cabin. 

"  Of  course  I  will,"  growled  Baker. 

"  Shall  I  give  you  some  beefsteak  ? "  asked  one. 
of  the  girls. 

"  I'll  help  myself." 

*'  If  you  want  some  fried  eggs  I'll  get  *some  for 
you,"  added  the  cook,  rattling  the  dishes  again. 

Baker  was  not  permitted  to  say  whether  he  would 
have  any  fried  eggs  or  not,  for  at  that  moment 
Ethan  crept  from  his  concealment,  whatever  noise 
he  made  being  drowned  by  the  clatter  of  the  dishes 
and  the  rattling  of  the  chairs.  Stealing  up  behind 
Baker,  who  was  intent  only  on  beefsteak  and  coffee, 
he  slipped  the  hangman's  noose  over  his  head,  and 
hauled  it  tight.  The  robber  attempted  to  spring  to 
his  feet,  but  Ethan  hauled  him  over  backwards  on  the 
floor.  At  the  same  time  Lawry  threw  the  end  of 
the  line  over  a  deck  beam,  extended  across  the  sky 
light,  and  began  to  "  haul  in  the  slack." 
25* 


294  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OR 

The  villain  'attempted  to  cry  out ;  but  the  sound 
only  gurgled  in  his  throat.  He  grasped  the  rope 
with  both  hands  ;  but  the  choking  already  received 
had  taken  away  his  strength,  and  he  was  unable  to 
make  any  successful  resistance.  While  Lawry  kept 
the  rope  so  taut  that  Baker  could  not  move,  Ethan 
tied  his  hands  behind  him,  though  the  man's  strug 
gles  were  fierce,  and  the  engineer  was  obliged  to 
Use  a  rolling-pin,  supplied  by  Mrs.  Light,  before 
the  conquest  was  complete.  The  ruffian  was  se 
curely  bound  and  gagged ;  but  the  cook  and  the 
girls  had  nearly  fainted  while  the  struggle  was  go 
ing  on. 

Baker,  thus  gagged  and  bound,  was  rolled  into 
one  of  the  lower  berths.  He  had  been  nearly 
choked  to  death  by  the  rope,  and  several  hard 
knocks  he  had  received  on  the  head  had  rendered 
him  partially  insensible,  so  that  he  was  not  in  con 
dition  to  make  any  further  resistance.  Ethan  had 
taken  possession  of  his  pistol,  and,  as  a  matter  of 
precaution,  threatened  to  blow  out  his  brains  if  he 
made  any  noise. 

"  Massy  sake  ! "    groaned   Mrs.    Light,   when   the 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN'.        295 

work  was  accomplished.  "  I  never  did  see  !  You've 
taken  my  breath  all  away ! " 

"  Don't  make  a  noise,"  said  Ethan. 

"  I  couldn't  have  struck  that  man  as  you  did," 
added  Lawry. 

"  If  you  had  been  through  what  I  have,  out  west, 
it  would  come  easier  to  you,"  replied  the  engineer, 
glancing  at  the  berth  where  the  prisoner  had  been 
concealed  by  the  curtains.  "  We  must  go  through 
the  whole  of  it  once  more." 

One  of  the  girls  was  then  sent  to  call  Flint,  and 
directed  to  assure  him  that  such  was  the  order  of 
Baker,  who  had  gone  to  the  wheel-house  for  a  mo 
ment,  and  would  immediately  return  to  the  engine- 
room.  The  deck  hand  was  too  much  in  a  hurry  for 
his  supper  to  question  the  order,  and  went  directly 
to  the  cabin.  The  noise  made  by  Mrs.  Light  and 
the  girls  prevented  him  from-  hearing  the  heavy 
breathings  of  Baker,  and  he  was  an  easier  victim 
than  his  companion  in  crime  had  been.  He  was 
choked,  gagged,  bound,  and  his  pistol  taken  from 
him.  By  this  time  these  two  ruffians,  if  they  could 
think  at  all,  could  not  help  believing  that  the  way 
of  the  transgressor  is  hard. 


296  HASTj:    AND    WASTE,    OR 

From  regard  to  the  feelings  of  Lawry,  Ethan  de 
cided  that  Ben  should  not  be  subjected  to  this  harsh 
treatment.  He  was  still  in  the  wheel-house,  not  sus 
pecting  that  his  nefarious  scheme  had  been  wholly 
defeated. 

The  work  was  accomplished,  and  the  pilot  and 
engineer  went  on  deck.  Ethan  repaired  to  his  post 
and  stopped  the  engine.  Ben  half  a  dozen  times 
demanded,  through  the  speaking-tube,  what  the  mat 
ter  was  ;  but  receiving  no  answer,  he  came  down 
himself  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  sudden  stoppage 
of  the  boat. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CIIAMPLAIN.       297 


CHAPTER     XX. 

THE    LITTLE    CAPTAIN    AND    HIS    MOTTO. 

As  Ben  Wilford,  fearful  that  some  accident  to  the 
machinery  would  defeat  his  criminal  enterprise,  en 
tered  the  engine-room  on  one  side,  Lawry  left  it  at 
the.  other.  As  .the  little  captain  went  forward,  he 
heard  a  noise  in  the  forecastle,  and  saw  that  the 
companion-way  was  closed  and  fastened.  Releasing 
the  firemen  and  deck  hands  confined  there,  he  di 
rected  them  to  follow  him  to  the  wheel-house,  where 
he  explained  to  them  what  had  happened. 

"What  are  you  stopping  for.?"  demanded  Ben 
Wilford,  before  he  discovered  that  Baker  was  not 
present. 

"  I  think  it  is  about  time  to  go  back,  now," 
replied  Ethan,  holding  one  of  the  pistols  in  his 
hand. 

"How  came  you  here,  Ethan?"  exclaimed   Ben, 


298  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

starting  back  with  astonishment  when  he  saw  who 
was  in  charge  of  the  engine. 

"  I  run  this  machine,  and  this  is  the  right  place  for 
me,"  replied  Ethan,  coolly. 

"  Where's  Baker  ?  " 

"  He's  safe  ;  if  you  mean  the  man  you  left  in 
charge  of  the  engine." 

Ben  was  bewildered  by  the  present  aspect  of  af 
fairs.  It  was  clear  that  there  had  been  a  miscarriage 
somewhere  ;  but  he  was  unable  to  tell  how  or  where 
the  scheme  had  failed.  Before  he  could  decide  what 
step  to  take  next,  Captain  Lawry  rang  the  bell  to  go 
ahead. 

"Who  rang  the  bell?"  asked  Ben. 

"  Captain  Lawry." 

"  Is  he  on  board  ? " 

"  He  is,"  replied  Ethan,  as  he  started  the  engine. 
'•  Ben  Wilford,  you  have  got  about  to  the  end  of  your 
rope." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  You  have  done  a  job  which  will  send  you  to  Sing 
Sing  for  the  next  ten  years." 

"  No,  I  haven't,"  said  Ben,  backing  out  of  the 
engine-room. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKK    CHAMPLAIN.       299 

"  Stop  Avhere  you  are,"  interposed  Ethan,  peremp 
torily,  as  he  raised  his  pistol. 

"  Two  can  play  at  that  game,"   added  Ben. 

"  Two  can  ;  but  two  won't.  Drop  your  hands,  or 
I'll  fire  !  " 

Ben  obeyed  ;    he  had  felt  that  the  game  was  up 

the  moment  he  saw  Ethan  at  his  post,  and  he  had 

i 

not  the  courage  to  draw  his  pistol  upon  one  who  had 
shot  two  Indians  in  one  day. 

"  Sit  down  there,"  continued  Ethan,  pointing  to 
the  bench  in  the  engine-room,  and  the  culprit  took 
his  seat  with  fbar  and  trembling. 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  groaned  the  wretched  young 
man,  as  he  thought  of  the  consequence  of  his  crime. 

"Jump  overboard  and  drown  yourself.  That  would 
save  your  friends  a  great  deal  of  trouble,"  replied 
Ethan.  "  Give  up  your  pistol !  " 

Ben  gave  it  up,  and  began  to  plead  with  Ethan  to 
let  him  escape,  declaring  that  it  would  kill  his  moth 
er,  and  Lawry  never  would  get  over  it,  if  he  was 
sent  to  the  penitentiary.  Though  the  engineer  dread 
ed  the  day  when  his  friend  would  be  compelled  to 
testify  in  court  against  his  own  brother,  he  would 


300  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

not  yield  to  the  culprit's  entreaties,  and  did  not 
intend  that  he  should  escape  the  penalty  of  his 
crime. 

When  the  Woodville  reached  her  wharf,  having 
been* absent  but  little  more  than  an  hour,  Mr.  Sher 
wood  and  the  ladies  were  on  the  wharf.  While  Ethan 
was  working  the  engine  with  the  bar,  Ben  slipped 
out  of  the  room.  The  engineer  saw  him,  and  gave 
the  alarm  ;  but  he  could  not  leave  his  post  at  that 
moment.  As  soon  as  the  boat  was  moored,  search 
was  made  ;  but  Ben  could  not  be  found.  He  cer 
tainly  was  not  on  board. 

Mr.  Sherwood  was  astonished  when  he  was  told 
what  had  occurred.  He  sent  his  coachman  after  the 
sheriff  at  once,  and  directed  that  the  search  for  Ben 
Wilford  should  be  renewed.  The  state-room  was 
found  locked,  as  he  had  left  it,  and  the  gold  undis 
turbed.  Mrs.  Light  and  the  girls,  the  firemen  and 
the  deck  hands,  had  their  own  stories  to  tell,  to  all 
of  which  Mr.  Sherwood  listened  very  patiently. 

"  You  have  done  well,  Lawry,"  said  he.  "  You 
have  saved  my  gold." 

"  It  was  Ethan,  sir,  that  did  the  business.     I  don't 


THE    YOUXG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CIIAMPLAIN.       301 

believe  I  could  have  done  anything  alone,"  replied 
the  little  captain. 

"  La  wry  did  his  share,"  added  Ethan,  with  due 
modesty. 

"  I'm  sure  they  both  fit  like  wildcats  in  the  cabin," 
said  Mrs.  Light.  "  I  was  e'ena'most  scart  to  death." 

When  the  sheriff  came,  he  took  Baker  and  Flint 
into  custody,  and  sent  the  constable  who  had  come 
with  him  to  find  Ben  Wilford.  The  two  robbers  in 
the  cabin  were  in  bad  condition.  The  choking  they 
had  received  had  been  a  terrible  shock  to  their  nerves, 
which,  with  the  hard  knocks  given  by  Ethan  with 
the  cook's  rolling-pin,  had  entirely  used  them  up, 
and  there  was  neither  fight  nor  bravado  in  them. 
Flint  said  they  had  been  induced  to  engage  in  the 
enterprise  by  Ben  Wilford ;  that  they  intended  to 
proceed  to  the  vicinity  of  Whitehall  in  the  Woodville, 
where  the  instigator  of  the  affair  had  declared  his 
purpose  to  burn  the  boat.  From  this  point  they 
were  going  to  the  West,  disposing  of  the  gold  in 
small  sums  as  they  proceeded. 

The  two  robbers  were  marched  off  by  the  sheriff ; 
but  nothing  was  heard  of  Ben  for  two  hours,  when 
26 


302  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OK 

the  boy  who  ran  the  ferry-boat,  returning  from  Point- 
ville,  informed  Mrs.  "Wilford  that  he  had  gone  over 
with  him.  The  constable  followed,  as  soon  as  he 
heard  in  what  direction  the  fugitive  had  gone.  He 
Avas  not  taken  that  night,  and  the  search  was  renewed 
the  next  day,  but  with  no  better  result.  It  was  after 
wards  ascertained  that  he  had  crossed  the  country 
to  the  railroad,  and  taken  a  night  train.  Having 
worked  his  way  to  New  York,  he  shipped  in  a  vessel 
bound  to  the  East  Indies. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  Lawry  and  his  mother, 
and  even  Mr.  Shenvood,  were  glad  of  his  escape, 
though  he  was  more  guilty  than  the  two  men  who 
had  been  captured  and  were  afterwards  tried  and  sent 
to  Sing  Sing.  The  little  captain  and  the  engineer 
of  the  Woodville  were  warmly  congratulated  upon 
the  safety  of  the  steamer,  when  it  was  known  that 
Ben  intended  to  burn  her  in  revenge  for  having  been 
made  a  "  nobody  ; "  but  Mr.  Sherwood  declared  that, 
if  the  boat  had  been  destroyed,  he  would  have  built 
another,  and  presented  her  to  Lawry  and  Ethan, 

for  he  was  too  much  interested   in   the    steamboat 

i 
experiment  to  have  it  abandoned. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OP    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       303 

Mrs.  Wilford  trembled  when  she  learned  that  the 
robbers  had  been  armed  with  pistols.  Many  laughed 
as  they  listened  to  the  account  of  the  choking  opera 
tion  in  the  cabin,  and  everybody  was  satisfied  with 
the  result. 

Lawry  and  Ethan  were  too  much  excited  to  sleep 
that  night,  though  they  turned  in  at  ten  o'clock.  At 
midnight  the  fireman  on  duty  called  them,  and  the 
steamer  soon  started  for  Whitehall  with  Mr.  Sher 
wood  and  his  gold,  where  she  arrived  in  season  for  the 
morning  train.  As  the  party  did  not  start  till  nine 
o'clock,  the  exhausted  pilot  and  engineer  obtained  a 
couple  of  hours'  sleep,  while  the  steamer  lay  at  the 
wharf,  which  enabled  them  to  get  through  the  day 
without  sinking  under  its  fatigues. 

The  following  day  was  Sunday ;  and  though  Lawry 
and  Ethan  went  to  church  in  the  forenoon,  as  both 
of  them  were  in  the  habit  of  doing,  the  day  was 

literally  a  day  of  rest  to  them,  and  there  was  a  great 

« 
deal  of  "tall  sleeping"  done.     On  Monday  morning, 

at  six  o'clock,  the  boat  went  to  Ticonderoga,  arriv 
ing  in  good  season  to  keep  her  engagement. 

Our  limits    do    not  permit  us    to    follow    Captain 


304  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

Lawry  and  the  beautiful  little  steamer  any  farther. 
The  young  pilot  has  redeemed  the  fairy  craft  from  the 
bottom  of  the  lake,  and  overcome  all  obstacles  in  his 
path  to  prosperity.  He  was  not  again  disturbed  by 
the  envy  and  jealousy  of  his  brother.  He  was  sad 
when  he  thought  of  his  father  in  prison,  and  Ben  an 
exile,  banished  by  his  misdeeds ;  but  their  errors 
only  made  him  the  stronger  in  the  faith  he  had 
chosen,  that  fidelity  to  principle  is  the  safest  and 
happiest  course,  under  all  circumstances. 

Lawry  had  all  the  business  he  could  do  with  the 
Woodville.  On  the  following  week,  another  pilot 
and  another  engineer  were  obtained,  and  the  price 
raised  to  sixty  dollars  a  day,  in  conformity  with  the 
suggestion  of  Mr.  Sherwood.  This  was  especially 
necessary,  as,  during  the  bright  moonlight  evenings, 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  month,  the  Woodville  was 
employed  every  night  in  taking  out  parties.  The 
boat  lay  hardly  an  hour  at  a  time  at  the  wharf.  The 
money  came  in  so  fast  that  Mrs.  Wilford  was  bewil 
dered  at  the  riches  which  were  flowing  in  upon 
them.  By  the  advice  of  Mr.  Sherwood  the  money 
was  invested  in  government  stocks ;  but  he  resolutely 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LA.KE    CHAMTLAIX.       305 

refused  to  accept  payment  for  what  he  had  advanced 
on  the  place  or  for  the  boat. 

Early  one  evening,  after  Lawry  had  landed  Mr. 
Sherwood's  party  at  Port  Rock,  he  started  for  Bur 
lington,  where  he  had  an  engagement  on  the  following 
day.  Half  a  mile  above  the  wharf,  he  came  up  with 
a  schooner,  wh'.cli  on  examination  proved  to  be  the 
Missisque.  It  was  a  dead  calm,  and  her  new  main 
sail  hung  motionless  from  the  gaff.  The  littls  captain 
had  not  seen  her  skipper  since  the  day  on  which  the 
old  sail  had  been  blown  from  the  bolt-ropes  by  the 
squall ;  and  he  ran  the  Woodville  alongside  of  her, 
in  order  "  to  pass  the  time  of  day  "  with  him. 

"  How  are  you,  Captai'i  John  ? ?'  shouted  the 
young  pilot. 

"  Why,  Lawry  !  How  are  you  ?  "  replied  the  skip 
per  of  the  sloop. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ? "  continued  Lawry, 
as  the  captain  stepped  on  board. 

"  Waitin'  for  a  breeze  of  wind.  I  had  a  good 
freight  promised  to  me  if  I  got  to  Burlington  by 
to-morrow  mornin',  but  I  guess  I  shan't  quite 
fetch  it." 


306  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

"  Rounds,  heave  a  stern  line  to  the  sloop,  and 
make  fast  to  her,"  added  Lawry  to  his  mate. 

"  O,  thank  ye,  Lawry,"  replied  the  grateful  skipper. 

"  ^.  ou  and  your  wife  must  take  supper  with  me." 

Before  the  steamer  started,  with  the  sloop  in  tow, 
Mrs.  Captain  John  came  on  board ;  and  nothing 
could  exceed  the  astonishment  of  the  worthy  couple 
as  they  gazed  at  the  magnificence  cf  the  sumptuous 
little  craft. 

"  Well,  Lawry,  I  always  knowed  you  was  smart," 
said  Captain  John. 

"  If  I  didn't  get  that  mainsail  down,"  laughed 
Lawry. 

"  O,  never  mind  the  mainsail,  Lawry,"  added  the 
skipper,  blushing.  "  I  was  a  leetle  riled  that  time, 
and  it  wan't  your  fault.". 

"  I  think  the  green-apple  pies  made  the  mischief. 
Mrs.  Light  makes  very  nice  ones,  and  we  will  have 
some  for  supper,"  continued  Lawry,  as  he  conducted 
his  guests  to  the  cabin,  where  they  sat  down  at  the 
table. 

Captain  John  and  his  wife  were  bewildered  at 
the  splendors  which  surrounded  them,  and  at  the 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       307 

grandeur  of  Captain  Lawry  ;  but  they  passed  a  pleas 
ant  evening  on  board  till  ten  o'clock,  when  the 
Woodville  cast  off  her  "  tow "  in  Burlington  Bay. 

The  upright  piano,  the  gift  of  Miss  Fanny,  had 
been  placed  in  the  saloon,  and  its  sweet  strains 
added  to  the  enjoyment  of  every  party  that  employed 
the  steamer.  Ethan  French,  now  relieved  of  part  of 
his  duties  by  the  employment  of  a  second  engineer, 
was  never  in  better  humor  than  when  Fanny  Jane, 
seated  at  this  instrument,  sang  the  songs  she  had 
sung  to  Wahena  and  himself  on  the  lake  island  in 
Minnesota. 

In  September,  the  business  of  the  Woodville,  as 
an  excursion  boat,  began  to  fall  off,  and  by  the 
middle  of  the  month  it  was  at  an  end.  The  season 
had  been  very  profitable,  and  Lawry' s  account  book 
showed  that  the  boat  had  been  employed  forty-one 
days,  besides  nine  evenings,  the  net  profits  of  which 
were  nearly  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  all  of  which  was 
in  the  bank,  or  invested  in  government  securities. 

While  Captain  Lawry  was  considering  the  practi 
cability  of  running  the  Woodville  between  certain 
places  on  the  lake  as  a  passenger  boat,  he  was 


308  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OR 

startled  by  receiving  a  huge  government  envelope, 
containing  a  liberal  offer  for  the  use  of  his  steamer  as 
a  despatch  boat  on  southern  rivers.  An  army  officer, 
of  high  rank,  who  had  been  a  member  of  one  of  the 
excursion  parties  in  August,  had  been  delighted  with 
the  performance  of  the  little  craft,  and  had  spoken  to 
Captain  Lawry  on  this  subject ;  but  the  matter  had 
been  quit3  forgotten  when  the  offer  came.  Mr. 
Sherwood  and  Mrs.  Wilford  were  consulted,  and  an 
affirmative  answer  returned.  Ethan  was  delighted 
at  the  prospect  of  going  south,  for  he  desired  to 
visit  the  scene  of  hostilities,  and,  if  possible,  to  be 
employed  in  active  operations. 

The  Woodville  went  in  October,  and  returned  in 
April,  when  the  war  was  finished.  Of  Captain 
Lawry's  voyage  out  and  back,  and  his  adventures  far 
up  in  the  enemy's  country,  we  have  no  space  to 
speak ;  but  the  steamer  and  her  little  commander 
gave  perfect  satisfaction  to  all  concerned. 

In  June,  when  the  Woodville  had  been  thoroughly 
repaired  and  painted,  after  her  hard  service  at  the 
South,  there  was  a  demand  for  her  as  an  excursion 
boat ;  and  it  continued  through  the  season.  With 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.        309 

one  of  Mr.  Sherwood's  parties,  in  July,  there  was  an 
eminent  member  of  the  state  government,  who  was 
greatly  pleased  with  Lawry's  past  history,  as  well  as 
with  his  agreeable  manners,  and  his  close  attention 
to  his  business.  Through  this  gentleman,  an  effort, 
warmly  seconded  by  Mr.  Randall,  the  bank  director, 
was  made  to  obtain  the  pardon  of  John  Wilford.  It 
was  successful,  and  the  ferryman  returned  to  his  home 
a  wiser  and  a  better  man. 

He  was  astonished  at  the  operations  of  his  son, 
and  surprised  at  the  prosperity  which  had  attended 
his  family  during  his  absence.  The  cottage  had  been 
enlarged,  repaired,  painted,  and  partly  refurnished. 
It  was  a  new  home  to  him ;  and,  profiting  by  the 
experience  of  the  past,  he  resumed  his  labor  as  a 
ferryman,  striving  to  be  contented  with  his  lot. 

Ethan  French  does  not  tire  of  his  pet,  the  engine 
of  the  Woodville,  though  it  must  be  acknowledged 
that  he  has  a  divided  heart  when  Fanny  Jane  is  on 
board. 

Mrs.  Wilford,  her  confidence  in  her  "  smart  boy  " 
fully  justified,  and  rejoicing  in  the  prosperity  which 
attends  him,  is  still  happy  and  contented  in  doing  a 


310  HASTE    AND    WASTE,    OK 

mother's  whole  duty  to  her  large  family  of  little  ones, 
hoping  that  all  of  them  will  "  turn  out"  as  well  as 
her  second  son. 

During  the  Woodville's  second  business  season, 
she  was  employed  by  a  party  of  wealthy  gentlemen, 
for  a  week,  in  going  round  the  lake.  She  had  de 
scended  the  Richelieu  to  St.  Johns,  from  which  the 
party  ran  up  to  Montreal  for  a  day,  returning  to  the 
boat  in  the  evening.  Though  the  time  for  which  the 
boat  was  engaged  was  not  up  till  the  next  evening, 
some  of  the  gentlemen  were  very  anxious  to  be  in 
Burlington  on  the  following  morning,  and  insisted 
that  the  steamer  should  immediately  proceed  up  the 
river  on.  her  return.  It  was  a  very  dark  and  foggy 
night,  and  Lawry  declined  to  start,  declaring  that  he 
could  not  run  with  safety  to  the  boat  and  passengers. 

The  party  continued  to  insist  upon  their  point, 
adding  that  if  he  was  a  competent  pilot  there  could 
be  no  difficulty  *in  complying  with  their  wishes. 
They  were  gentlemen  of  wealth  and  influence,  and 
the  little  captain  did  not  like  to  disoblige  them. 
He  argued  the  question  with  them,  and  pointed  to 
the  motto  in  the  wheel-house.  They  laughed  at  him 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN.       311 

and  his  motto.  There  was  to  be  a  "trot"  between 
two  celebrated  horses,  at  Burlington,  and  they  were 
too  anxious  to  witness  the  race  to  be  entirely  rea 
sonable. 

Captain  Lawry  was  firm,  and  the  gentlemen  were 
angry  and  indignant.  While  they  were  debating  the 
question  in  excited  tones,  another  steamer  left  the 
wharf,  bound  up  the  river.  Her  departure  seemed  to 
spoil  the  young  pilot's  argument.  The  party  tried  to 
hail  the  steamer  in  the  fog,  wishing  Lawry  to  put 
them  on  board  of  her;  but  her  people  did  not  hear 
their  demand,  or  would  not  stop  for  them,  and  the 
party  were  highly  incensed  at  what  they  called  the 
obstinacy  of  Lawry. 

"Haste  and  waste,  gentlemen,"  replied  the  little 
captain.  "  The  river  is  narrow  and  crooked,  and 
there  is  great  danger  of  getting  aground  if  I  attempt 
to  run  in  this  fog." 

"  That  other  steamer  has  gone,  and  if  she  can  run, 
you  can,  if  you  know  your  business,"  replied  one  of 
the  gentlemen. 

"I'm  very  sorry  ;  but  I  don't  think  we  should  gain 
anything  by  starting  now,"  added  Lawry. 


312  HASTE     AND     WASTE,    OK 

Finding  it  was  useless  to  insist  any  longer,  the 
party  took  supper,  and  turned  in,  when  their  anger 
had  partially  subsided.  The  little  captain  did  not 
retire  that  night ;  he  "  planked  the  deck,"  and 
watched  the  weather.  It  was  a  seven  hours'  run  to 
Burlington,  and  the  "  trot "  was  to  come  off  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  He  still  hoped  that  he 
should  he  able  to  satisfy  his  unreasonable  party. 

At  midnight  the  wind  chopped  round  to  the  west 
ward,  and  blew  the  fog  over.  At  one  o'clock  the 
Wooclville  was  going  up  the  river  at  full  speed.  At 
three  o'clock  she  came  up  with  the  steamer  which 
had  started  from  St.  Johns  four  hours  before,  hard 
and  fast  aground.  She  hailed  the  little  Woodville, 
and  requested  assistance.  Lawry  took  a  hawser  on 
board,  and  gave  her  a  few  pulls  ;  but  she  was  too 
hard  on  the  sand  to  be  started,  and  he  was  com 
pelled  to  abandon  her.  The  commotion  caused  by 
these  operations  awoke  some  of  the  gentlemen  in  the 
cabin  of  the  Woodville,  and  they  came  on  deck  to 
learn  the  occasion  of  it. 

"  What's  the  trouble,  Captain  Lawry  ?  "  asked  one 
of  them. 


THE    YOUNG    PILOT    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIX.        313 

"  Haste  and  waste,"  replied  the  young  pilot,  sen- 
tentiously. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  only  the  boat  which  left  St.  Johns  four 
hours  before  us  is  aground,  and  can't  get  off." 

"  Well,  hasfe  and  waste  does  mean  something, 
after  all,"  laughed  the  speaker. 

The  gentlemen  went  to  bed  again  ;  the  Woodville 
continued  on  her  course,  and  when  the  party  came  on 
deck,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  she  was  in  sight  of 
Burlington.  Of  course  the  excursionists  were  de 
lighted  to  be  able  to  attend  the  "  trot."  At  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  steamer  which  had 
grounded  reached  Burlington.  Some  of  Lawry's 
party  came  on  board  in  the  evening  to  settle  their 
accounts  with  the  boat.  They  were  gentlemen,  and 
they  acknowledged  their  error,  and  apologized  for 
the  strong  language  they  had  used. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  I  am  very  glad  you  are  satis 
fied,"  said  Lawry,  as  he  put  their  money  in  his 
pocket.  "  I  shall  still  believe  in  and  follow  my 
motto  —  HASTE  AND  WASTE." 


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